Together We Stand
by Hotwire
Summary: Book One of the Shinji/Hikari saga
1. Prologue

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all  
Together we stand, divided we fall  
Hey you  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
  
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Book 1 Prologue  
[]=======================[]  
  
  
Hikari Horaki walked into the classroom and sighed; Rei   
Ayanami had beaten her to school again. If she didn't have to   
walk her younger sister to class she suspected that she might be   
able to actually arrive before the strange pale girl for once. It   
wasn't really that big a deal-- it was more of a game she played   
to amuse herself. The only reason that she didn't worry about   
Ayanami's uncanny punctuality overlapping her own was the fact   
that half of the time the girl didn't even show up in the first   
place. This was actually the first time in almost three weeks   
that she had been in class at all. When she did bother to show up   
however, it seemed she arrived the moment the gates were   
unlocked.  
  
As Hikari walked closer she let out a small gasp; Ayanami's   
arms and head were wrapped in bandages, in addition her right arm   
hung limply in a sling. She wondered if the girl had been injured   
in the Robot incident.  
  
It had been the talk of the school-- actually it had been   
the talk of the world. Less than a week before, a giant monster   
had come out of nowhere and started wrecking the city. Hikari and   
her sisters had missed seeing it, having been evacuated to the   
shelters immediately after the first alert. There had, however,   
been a few people who had either been too slow or had stayed out   
to see what was going on. From their accounts- it had been   
hundreds of feet tall and had taken everything the UN had been   
able to throw at it without a scratch. As it had resumed its   
attack on the city after the UN's last attack, a huge robot had   
risen from the ground and the two had fought.   
  
The monster had been destroyed and the next day the news   
was reporting that Nerv had created the robot. She and her   
sisters had badgered her dad for days after that for him to tell   
them more. Unfortunately his office was only related to what he   
called project E indirectly, and he knew little. Nerv employed   
most of the city, and she was surprised that no one had ever   
heard of the huge machine before then. Where in the world could   
they hide something like that?   
  
Hikari shook all that from her mind. The issue was Rei and   
how she had gotten hurt, not the dumb mech. She was starting to   
sound like Kensuke.  
  
"Rei? Are you ok? What happened?" she asked with concern as   
she stepped closer.   
  
Ayanami turned and fixed Hikari with her uninjured eye, but   
said nothing.   
  
'I'll never get used to those red eyes' Hikari thought as   
Ayanami's gaze froze her in place. They were almost hypnotic. Rei   
rarely focused on anything other than the view from the window,   
but when she did; the intensity she radiated was overwhelming.   
Because of this few ever mustered up the courage to speak to her.  
  
Shaking off her unease she repeated herself; hoping that Rei   
would actually say something. "Are you alright?" She asked.  
  
"I am not in pain," Rei replied in that calm, soft voice   
that creeped out most of the student body, "There is no need for   
concern Representative Horaki."   
  
"We-well that's good, I-I'm glad you're alright." Hikari   
said, trying to keep from flinching under Rei's stare.  
  
To her relief Rei turned back to the window and resumed   
whatever meditations she had been involved in before. She wanted   
to be nicer to Rei, but he girl was so... strange, and it wasn't   
just the albinism. Rei had an air about her that disturbed   
Hikari, something that was just beyond her ability to describe   
accurately. It was almost as if Rei had no drive in life, nothing   
to work for. Ever since Hikari had known the girl, she seemed to   
just go through the motions of living without taking part.   
  
Making a mental note to try to speak with her more often,   
Hikari went to her desk to check her messages. As class   
representative it was her responsibility to keep herself updated   
on all new information concerning school events.   
  
Plugging in her laptop and entering her password, she   
brought up the menu. Sure enough the faculty had sent her a set   
of data concerning a new student. This was a bit surprising.   
Since the Robot incident many of her fellow students had left   
Tokyo Three, having been moved out by their parents. A person   
actually moving _into_ such a dangerous city was a bit unusual.   
  
Looking over the information she found the boy's name and   
picture.   
  
Shinji Ikari, age 14.   
  
He had apparently been living with his uncle for most of his   
life and had been tutored privately for the last couple of years.   
She hoped he was up to date on his studies, her schedule for   
study aid was already chock full. Scanning quickly over the rest   
she was struck by how empty the file was. No sports, no clubs, no   
extracurricular activities at all from his older class records,   
save that he apparently played the cello.   
  
She took a moment to look at his picture again. He was   
slender and apparently well groomed-- that would be a nice switch   
from some of the slobs in class, but it was the boy's eyes that   
caught her attention. He seemed... sad.   
  
Well it was just a school file photo; it wasn't like a   
person's whole life was in there. Making a mental note to welcome   
him, she finished up her paper work and waited for the rest of   
the class to arrive.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Welcome to our school Mr. Ikari. I am the class   
representative Hikari Horaki," she said, greeting the young man   
as he walked in.   
  
He looked just as he had in his photograph, brown hair and   
deep blue eyes, but as she had expected the photo hadn't conveyed   
anything about him. The sound of her voice had surprised him and   
he had jumped slightly. Once he realized what she had said   
however he reverted to the distant look he'd carried with him as   
he had entered.  
  
"T-thank you... which is my seat?" he asked in a quiet, shy   
voice.  
  
As she led him to his assigned place, she handed him the   
bootup disk for his assigned laptop.   
  
"This contains a quick tutorial on the operating system, a   
list of the school rules, regulations for private messages, and a   
few other important bits of information," She told him, "our   
classroom is connected to the internet, but access is limited   
during most of the day. Private messages are permitted, but   
interrupting the class can result in loss of privileges."  
  
Shinji listened to this and nodded, and Hikari got the   
impression he was a bit uncomfortable. This was not too   
surprising; being new at a school could do that to someone.   
  
He thanked her again before sitting down and pulling out   
earplugs and turning on a SDAT player.  
  
"Great... another Rei." She muttered under her breath--   
social interaction did not seem to be one of Shinji's greater   
talents. She admonished herself immediately; it wasn't nice or   
fair to make snap judgments like that.   
  
As she greeted the other arriving students, she took a look   
back at him and decided she had been wrong about his photo. The   
look in his eyes wasn't that of sadness. It was more as if he   
were haunted by something.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hey class rep!"  
  
Hikari rolled her eyes. Kensuke Aida was a nice enough guy;   
she had known him and his best friend Touji Suzuhara since first   
grade, but when he went into military mode he became a world   
class pain in the neck. Ever since the Robot incident he had   
insisted on reminding everyone of this fact... in spades.   
  
"What is it Aida?" She asked, letting her voice betray her   
annoyance. She didn't like being disturbed during lunch in the   
first place, it was one of the few times during the school day   
she could actually relax. The twinkle in Kensuke's eyes was   
enough to convince her that whatever he wanted it had to do with   
either Nerv or the Giant Robot.  
  
"I need to ask you something about the new guy."  
  
"You mean the transfer student, Shinji Ikari?"  
  
"Yeah, not that there are any other new guys, but can you   
show me his school file?"  
  
Hikari's eyes narrowed. It wasn't technically against the   
rules, but it still wasn't proper to ask for such things. "Why do   
you want to see his file Kensuke?"  
  
"I wanna test a theory."  
  
"I'm not going to play games Aida, tell me or leave me alone   
so I can eat my lunch."  
  
"Okay, okay, I think the new kid works for Nerv."  
  
Hikari mentally rolled her eyes. It figured. "What makes you   
think that?" she asked  
  
"Have you seen those guys in black suits wandering the   
perimeter of the school all year?   
  
"Yeah... what about them?"  
  
"Well as of today there are twice as many of them. The only   
change in the past couple of days is the new kid."  
  
"So what does his file got to do with that? It's just school   
notes and other boring stuff."  
  
"Don't you know anything about espionage?"  
  
"No Kensuke, but then again I have things in my life other   
than military and anime."  
  
"Cheep shot, but I'll let it slide. Show me his file and   
I'll explain my theory."  
  
"If it will get you to leave me to my lunch," She said as   
she pulled her laptop out from the desk and booted it up. "Okay   
Kensuke, here's his file... now what's so special about it?"  
  
"Look there!" Kensuke said excitedly, pointing at the   
screen.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The gaps in the history!"  
  
"Kensuke Aida, if you don't start making sense..."  
  
"They erased some of his school history! And look here,   
there's no parents listed other than a guardian."  
  
"And this proves what, exactly? He had a private tutor for   
a couple of years. That doesn't mean anything"  
  
"Well of course it means nothing by itself, but when you   
take the pieces and put them together..."  
  
"Go away and let me eat in peace Kensuke," Hikari said in a   
strained voice.   
  
"Okay, but mark my words, there's something weird going on   
with this guy."  
  
"Kensuke!" She growled.  
  
"Alright, alright," Kensuke said as he ducked out the door.   
Hikari let out a sigh as she turned back to her lunch. Kensuke's   
imagination was going to get him in trouble of him one day.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
She couldn't say that she was surprised.  
  
By the time she made back from the equipment room, the   
locker room gossip mill was already in full swing. Every singly   
girl in class seemed to have a theory about the transfer student,   
and they each apparently felt the world would end if she didn't   
share it with everyone else.  
  
"Well I heard he came here because he got in trouble with   
the law."  
  
"No, Kensuke says he works for Nerv!"  
  
"Oh as if! What would they want with a scrawny wimp like   
him? Did you see how slow he was on the track?"  
  
"Oh please, I think he's a cutie."  
  
"I bet he had to leave a girlfriend behind and that's why   
he's so quiet."  
  
"Ooh, think he needs help healing his wounded heart?"  
  
Hikari rolled her eyes. This would keep up for at most a   
week, then the girls would promptly forget about it when   
something new happened. They would joke, giggle, and dare each   
other to ask him out-- but that's about as far as it would go. It   
was about the only predictable thing left in Tokyo 3.   
  
'At least its not a new girl' she thought, 'I've had to   
break Aida and Suzuhara's little photo racket up twice this year   
already.'  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
The final bell rang and she yelled out her instructions to   
the class. Yelling was the only way that she could get their   
attention some days.   
  
The teacher walked out and the rest of the class began   
gathering their things. Rei was gone before Hikari could say   
anything; she would have to talk with the girl some other time.   
  
It had been a long day, mostly due to the fact that the   
teacher insisted on going over the same material every day during   
the final hour. By now the entire class could probably quote it   
line for line. It was about the only reason she didn't crack down   
on the private messages in the classroom chatsite.   
  
'Let no one ever say that the reign of Hikari Horaki was not   
a tolerant one,' she thought with a grin. She would get out of   
her older sister's shadow yet! As she finished packing her things   
and walked out the door, she wondered just how much easier it   
would be if her Kodama hadn't been such a terror in the   
classroom. She had learned the hard way that following such an   
act was not the easiest job in the world. Fortunately over the   
course of the year she seemed to have finally been accepted in   
the position and the grumbles had faded to almost nothing.  
  
Stepping out of the front doors of the school and into the   
daylight she saw the new student standing across the street   
looking out at the city. In the distance the buildings were   
lowering into the underground shafts that protected them during   
attack. She had forgotten that there was a scheduled evacuation   
drill in the main block, theirs would most likely be in a week or   
two.   
  
She had only seen the spectacle a couple of times since the   
final construction, so she stepped across the street to watch it   
as well. When she made it to the rail where Shinji stood, she saw   
that he was shaking. His hands gripped the railing so tightly   
that she could hear his knuckles pop.  
  
Concerned for the boy, she tapped him lightly on the   
shoulder and asked if he was all right. He jumped back from her   
touch and for a moment she actually thought he was going to run   
away. When he realized who it was he seemed to deflate as he let   
out a sigh of relief. Even so, she could clearly see that   
whatever was bothering him ran deep, he seemed to still be   
looking for a way to leave quickly.   
  
"I-I'm... okay, thank you. Sorry if I startled you Miss...   
Horaki?"  
  
"That's me," she acknowledged with a smile, "and it's   
alright. _I_ should be the one apologizing. I mean-- I'm the one   
who snuck up on you. Are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes... I--I just have a lot on my mind right now... I   
should go, sorry to trouble you." He told her as he headed off   
down the road.   
  
"What a strange boy" she said to herself as she headed home.  
  
  
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[]====[]  
  
  
That night, as she got ready for bed, Hikari found herself   
thinking about the new student. He seemed so distant from   
everyone around him. He hadn't spoken to anyone the entire day   
beyond the initial greetings he got. She wondered if it was   
because he was just shy or if he was simply unfriendly. He didn't   
seem mean or rude, just self contained.   
  
Kensuke was convinced the guy was the Robot's pilot now, but   
how he came to that conclusion was beyond her. Then again she had   
never claimed to understand Kensuke in the first place. She hoped   
Touji was ok. For all his antics with Kensuke he was a nice   
enough guy, and one of her best friends. She was more than a bit   
worried; he hadn't been back at school since the incident. The   
news reports said no one had been injured, but after she had seen   
Rei... she wasn't as sure.   
  
A she finished dressing for bed and turned out the light,   
she wondered if Kensuke was right... if the new kid was in fact   
the pilot then he was a hero, he had fought to save all their   
lives. But if that was true it didn't match the boy's attitude.   
He didn't seem like the type of person a military organization   
would hire. He seemed so... lost.  
  
She didn't even know why she was thinking about this, it was   
just distracting her from her job as class rep and her   
schoolwork. But even as she tried to wipe all such thoughts from   
her mind, even as she drifted off to sleep, she kept seeing   
Shinji Ikari's wounded eyes and wondering what had happened to   
cause such pain.  
  
  
[]====================[]  
To be Continued...  
[]====================[]  
  
  
  
Authors incoherent babbling:  
  
Wow this might be the shortest thing I've written ^_^, but   
on the other hand; it marks the beginning of a story. The idea   
exploded in my head (yuk) when I was reading the 'In Other Words'   
message board and someone asked why there weren't more   
Shinji/Hikari fics out there.   
  
"Well" I said, "that's a darn good question."  
  
Being the only marginally sane person in the cast of   
Evangelion, (not counting the bridge bunnies) Hikari is an oasis   
of peace in the desert of angst that composes Eva's later   
chapters.  
  
Keep this in mind as you read the fic:  
  
A smart fella once said "the future is not set, there is no   
fate but what we make." And indeed the future is in constant   
flux. The choices each and every person makes every moment of   
their lives have small, sometimes immeasurable effects one the   
lives of others. Sometimes the smallest choices can have the   
largest effects, altering entire destinies. In short it's the   
butterfly effect.  
  
Touji/Hikari fans may hate me for this. Rei/Shinji fans will   
probably hate me for this. Asuka/Shinji fans will most likely be   
shouting for my head on a pike by the end.   
  
The rest of you, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride  
  
Hotwire   
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  
  
  



	2. Book One Part One

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are   
the property of Gainax. They are used without permission   
and we beg the kind and benevolent creators of the glorious   
show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
Chain lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
Did you see the frightened ones?   
Did you hear the falling bombs?  
The flames are all long gone  
But the pain lingers on  
Goodbye blue sky  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
  
[]================[]  
Book 1 Part 1   
[]================[]  
  
  
With a heavy heart, Shinji Ikari walked to school alone.   
  
It wasn't entirely by choice-- if asked he would say that   
he would prefer to walk with someone else. The problem was that   
he didn't really know anyone at his new school. Another part of   
said problem was that he hadn't been able to make any friends   
since he had started attending two weeks before.   
  
It was not as if he didn't _want_ to have friends; he did,   
so badly it hurt. He just didn't know how to behave around   
people. Growing up with his uncle, he hadn't had contact with   
people his own age often. Interacting with so many people at   
once had put his head in a spin the first day; he had almost ran   
back to the apartment a dozen times just to get away from it   
all.   
  
He had often heard the phrase 'alone in a crowd' but until   
that first day he hadn't understood it. He sat there day after   
day and listened to the others talk, and as much as he wanted--   
needed to join in, he couldn't relate to anything they were   
saying. They would talk about TV show and movies he had never   
seen, people he had never met and events he had never witnessed.   
It constantly drove home how different he was from everyone   
else.  
  
He even felt isolated from Misato. True, he had grown   
closer to her over the past few days. However the woman seemed   
to be out of her mind half of the time, and he still didn't   
understand how she could be so different at home than she was at   
work.   
  
Work... Nerv... the Eva... his father...  
  
It all was so far beyond him, he couldn't really say he   
understood the war even in part. Why was he fighting? They   
wouldn't tell him. What was he fighting? They didn't know. What   
was he fighting _in_? That was classified. Why had the Eva   
reactivated during the fight? Just thinking about that was   
classified.   
  
Nerv and Eva were also part of the problem-- he couldn't   
really just walk up and say 'hi I pilot that big robot that   
trashed downtown a couple of weeks ago'. No one would ever   
believe him. To make matters more complicated; he wasn't   
particularly fond of doing it in the first place.  
  
How could he possibly talk to anyone about it if he didn't   
understand it himself? If he started talking about the Eva, he   
would have to eventually talk about his father and that was just   
not something he was prepared to do.   
  
As he walked into the classroom he nodded hello as the   
class representative said good morning. He wanted to say more,   
but as he tried to speak his throat locked up. He knew this   
reaction far too well. He just couldn't talk to people; he   
didn't know what to say. He would try to start talking then he   
would freeze up. Compounding this problem was that the class rep   
was a very attractive member of the opposite sex.  
  
He could hardly think straight when Misato was around, but   
at least she was easier to talk to. He knew she was only teasing   
him when she flirted. Sometimes she seemed to less mature than   
his peers. It was strange see her like that, and then remember   
how she was at work.   
  
But school was a whole other world, and girls his age were   
like a force of nature. He had no way of holding a coherent   
conversation with one of them-- much less think straight when   
they were around. This had never been a problem back in   
elementary... back then he had only vaguely understood there   
_was_ a difference between the sexes. Now the differences were   
becoming painfully obvious ever time he turned around. It was   
hard enough just talking to someone else-- having his heart   
start to pound and his ears and cheeks begin to burn in a fierce   
blush every time a girl spoke to him made it almost impossible   
  
He was so afraid that if he opened his mouth something   
stupid would come out. That he would embarrass himself and they   
would laugh. The easiest way to keep that from happening was to   
say nothing at all.   
  
Which was why instead of trying to start a conversation   
with one of the other students-- Shinji Ikari went to his desk,   
pulled out his SDAT and tuned out the world like he had done   
every day for the past two weeks.  
  
  
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[]====[]  
  
  
Hikari Horaki was tired.  
  
This was mostly because she had been up half the night   
trying to catch up with her homework. Along with her general   
duties as class rep she also had been tutoring several students   
in her class. In addition to that she had her duties at home   
which included laundry, making meals for her sisters, and   
cleaning up the house. Things were adding up and she was   
beginning to feel the strain. She was beginning to think that   
she had bitten off more than she could chew.  
  
The worst part was that all the extra work was cutting in   
to what little social life she had. Other than the students she   
was tutoring she really hadn't spoken with anyone other than   
Kensuke in the past couple of weeks. She had no idea how Touji   
was, and that was starting to worry her. No one was returning   
calls from his house and she hadn't been able to make the time   
to go over in person. Having Kensuke assigned to drop off their   
friend's paperwork had been the only idea for checking on him   
that she had been able to come up with.  
  
The whole mess was getting to the point where she was   
either going to have to cut back on her extra work or drop class   
rep, and she wasn't about to do that. She wasn't about to back   
down yet. Even so she was beginning to feel the effects of her   
long hours. She hadn't even been able to make time to talk with   
Ayanami as she had intended.   
  
Once she finished her morning update; she stretched and   
looked around the room. Shinji and Rei were tuned out as usual.   
Shinji was siting there with his music, and Rei was focused on   
something outside the window. If she hadn't known better she   
would have suspected the two were related.   
  
She worried about those two-- particularly Shinji. He   
seemed to be holding something inside, something that was   
hurting him badly. She could see it in his eyes every time he   
looked around the class. The longing look in his eyes when he   
watched the others talk was painfully obvious, she had seen it   
before in other shy kids.   
  
The others were milling around catching up one the latest   
gossip. Sadly there were about half as many students than there   
had been three weeks ago, and more were signing up to transfer   
out.   
  
She hoped there wouldn't be any more attacks.  
  
  
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[]====[]  
  
  
Kensuke Aida was having fun.   
  
He had just finished a model kit of one of the UN VTOL's   
the night before and he was amusing himself by making a   
documentary of its maiden voyage. Holding the model in one hand   
and his camcorder in the other he expertly maneuvered the craft   
through a series of complicated stunts. (Accompanied by sound   
effects courtesy of his own mouth.)   
  
Just as he finished putting the VTOL through another barrel   
roll, someone stepped into the frame; effectively ruining his   
shot. Frowning slightly he lowered the camera to find Hikari   
Horaki standing in front of him with an annoyed look on her   
face.  
  
"What's up class rep?" he asked, deciding not to complain   
about his ruined footage.  
  
"Did you drop that printout off at Suzuhara's place like I   
asked you?" she asked sternly.  
  
Kensuke blinked and tried to keep his face neutral as he   
realized he had left the printout in question sitting in his   
desk all week. Reaching back quickly he made sure it was out of   
sight before stammering a weak excuse.  
  
"Um... well I went by... but there didn't seem to be anyone   
at his place."   
  
This was true enough; he had simply left out the part about   
having the printouts with him. Touji was his friend, and he was   
starting to worry since he hadn't even heard from him since the   
war in the city.   
  
Kensuke knew that wasn't so strange that neither of them   
had heard anything. Nerv was a large organization, and the   
secrecy surrounding it was phenomenal. Despite the fact that   
most of the kids in their school had parents who worked in or   
around Nerv related projects, few of them had parents who worked   
together. He had known Touji since first grade, and they had   
been friends almost from the beginning, but their dads worked in   
completely separate departments and learning what had happened   
to his friend was beyond even _his_ considerable information   
gathering talents.   
  
"Kensuke," Hikari said-- her voice softening, "you're his   
best friend. Haven't you heard from him at all?"  
  
"No... and I'm starting to think he might have been hurt in   
that fight with the robot."  
  
Hikari's eyes widened at this. "But the news agencies all   
said no one was seriously injured!"  
  
Kensuke sighed. Sometimes Hikari could be really naive. He   
supposed it had to do with her position as class rep-- part of   
her job was to follow instructions from the school board. She   
just wasn't as used to questioning authority as he was.  
  
"Are you kidding?" he said, trying to break the reality of   
the situation to her as gently as he could, "you saw what was   
left after that explosion didn't you? And that's not counting   
all the other parts of town that were wrecked and the bomb they   
set off a few hours before the fight! They didn't just send in   
the troops from Iruma and Komatsu, but they even called in the   
reserves from Misawa and Kyusho. I bet several dozen people were   
injured and with blasts like that rocking the city there had to   
have been at least a couple of fatalities."   
  
As he said that the door to the class opened and a tall boy   
with short black hair and a grim expression walked into the   
classroom.   
  
Hikari and Kensuke both let out sighs of relief as they   
greeted their friend.   
  
"Touji!"   
  
"Suzuhara!"  
  
The taller boy nodded hello, and walked into the room.   
Kensuke noticed something right then-- his friend was in a foul   
mood. Touji didn't so much walk into the room as stormed in.   
When he finally reached his seat and sat down on top of his   
desk, it was as if he was restraining himself from throwing the   
table across the room.   
  
Kensuke was just about to start filling his friend in on   
the latest news when Touji spoke up.  
  
"Last time I checked we had a lot more people in the   
class," he said with a frown, "what happened to everyone?"  
  
"It's was the fight," Kensuke explained "a lot of people   
just packed up and ran. I'm not really surprised though, I mean   
its not like most people are going to hang around with a war   
going on in the middle of downtown."  
  
"I guess... then again unlike you not everyone wants to   
watch a real war going on from the front row."  
  
"True..." Kensuke said with a shrug. He knew he was a   
military nut, he'd never tried to hide it, and wasn't the type   
of person to be ashamed of it. "How have you been? We haven't   
seen or heard from you since the incident, did you get involved   
in the fighting?"  
  
Touji's eyes darkened and his frown turned to a scowl. For   
a moment Kensuke thought he wasn't going to say anything at all   
but finally he started speaking a low, harsh voice. It seemed as   
if it was all Touji could do to keep from yelling.  
  
"No I didn't get involved... but my sister wasn't as lucky.   
She--she was crushed... under a pile of debris. She survived,   
but she's been in the hospital ever since." He paused for a   
moment and his eyes softened "my father and grandfather's   
departments are working around the clock since the fight and   
they can't make it to visit... so unless I'm there she's all   
alone."  
  
Touji closed his eyes and his entire body seemed to tense   
up as his earlier anger returned in full force. "That Robot's   
pilot has to be some kind of moron! It just pisses me off... I   
mean, he's supposed to be protecting us and then he goes and   
trashes half the city? What the hell was he thinking?"  
  
Kensuke was so caught up with Touji's news he had almost   
forgotten to tell him about his theory on the new student.   
  
"Hey on that note, did you hear the rumors yet?"  
  
"No... what about?"  
  
"The new transfer student."  
  
Touji looked around the room until he spotted the   
unfamiliar face in the room. The boy was sitting alone listening   
to something on SDAT.   
  
"Who? Him?"  
  
"Yeah, he transferred in while you were gone." Kensuke   
paused for effect then let out the interesting part "do you   
realize that he came in just after the big incident? And that   
there are twice as many of those creepy security guys around the   
school now? Awful big coincidence don't you think?"  
  
For a moment Kensuke thought he might have slipped up   
because his friend shot such a fierce look of anger at the new   
kid that Kensuke would not have been surprised to see the boy   
spontaneously combust under the glare.   
  
Fortunately for all of them the teacher picked that moment   
to arrive and Hikari started into her duties as class rep.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
An hour before lunch, the teacher set down his lesson plan   
and the moment the students dreaded arrived. It was time for the   
teacher's lecture.  
  
As the teacher began to drone on Kensuke let out a sigh.   
The same thing... again. Every morning and again at the end of   
the day, the same boring speech over and over. It was getting to   
the point that most of the class was using the time to catch up   
on sleep. So with nothing better to do he decided to see what   
was going on in the classroom chat. He would have to thank   
Hikari someday for letting them use it during class; it was a   
small escape but a necessary one when you had to listen to the   
old guy drone on day after day. He had been afraid at the start   
of they year when they had appointed her-- the stories of her   
older sister's reign of terror as class rep were legendary.   
  
The main chat room was full of the usual inane banter. Some   
of it was the same gossip about the new student that had been   
going on for weeks. He was rather disappointed-- nothing new on   
that front. One would think that in two weeks someone would have   
found _something_ out. Amateurs-- all of them.  
  
Other than that the only thing of note was the occasional   
dare for one of the guys to go talk to Rei. Kensuke grinned at   
that. Rei was undeniably attractive, but if any of the guys   
actually got up the nerve to talk to her he would eat his   
camera. On the rare occasions when she actually paid attention   
to something other than the window, it had unnerved even the   
teacher himself.   
  
Not finding anything overly interesting in the main room's   
conversation, he activated a program he had 'borrowed' and   
started flipping through the private messages. Unfortunately   
other than useless gossip and other mindless chatter there was   
nothing going on.  
  
He was about to shut it down and take a nap, when he   
noticed that the new kid had just received a message.   
  
Intrigued he opened the file and watched the exchange.  
  
[Are you the pilot? Y / N]  
  
Well, well, well, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who   
thought that the kid worked for Nerv. Out of the corner of his   
eye he saw the boy looking around with what might have been   
panic. As he turned back to his screen, Kensuke saw that he had   
received another message.  
  
[Its true isn't it? Y / N]  
  
Kensuke turned all his attention to his monitor. This was   
it, the moment of truth; his suspicions were about to be either   
confirmed or dashed. Sure enough after a brief pause, he heard   
the clicking sounds of the boy's keyboard and the message went   
out.   
  
[Yes.]  
  
Kensuke had never considered himself much of a hacker-- his   
skills were nowhere near the level that he felt would earn that   
title. He had, however, taken a great deal of pride in figuring   
out how to program his laptop to read private messages that were   
sent around the room. It had been a great accomplishment in his   
book.  
  
As the entire class went nuts upon Shinji's reply, however,   
Kensuke let out a sigh of disappointment-- apparently he wasn't   
the only one who had figured that little trick out.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Thank you for making our teacher deaf as a brick wall."   
Hikari muttered quietly as she watched the entire class rush   
Shinji Ikari.   
  
It was ridiculous-- everyone was clustered around the poor   
kid shouting questions at him and demanding answers right away.   
To make matters worse the teacher was still in the middle of his   
speech.   
  
She had known of course that someone had opened a dialogue   
with him. Her laptop had a program that allowed her to monitor   
all private messages if she so chose. Generally she didn't do   
that-- she felt she owed the class a little privacy during the   
teacher's monologues.   
  
She would have to crack down now and she hated doing that.   
Standing and turning she frowned and shouted over the din.  
  
"Hey you guys, you're still in class you know! Sit down and   
keep quiet! Show some respect!"  
  
This didn't faze the mob in the least. One girl did   
apparently hear her, as she turned and spoke up  
  
"Oh get off it, you're always trying to boss us!"   
  
"Just ignore us," another student tossed in her direction.  
  
Hikari recoiled at that and frowned "I wont ignore it,   
this is my job!" she said, a little hurt at the sheer disrespect   
that her friends were showing not only her, but the teacher as   
well.   
  
Her attempt at reason wasn't working and the questions   
continued despite her protests.   
  
"How were you selected?"  
  
"Did they put you through any tests?"  
  
"What's the cockpit like?"  
  
"Were you scared?"  
  
Shinji didn't seem to be enjoying the attention in the   
least; actually he seemed to be trying to disappear into his   
desk. Hikari felt sorry for him-- even a person who enjoyed   
being the center of attention would have been unnerved by that   
mob.  
  
"I-I-I'm not supposed to talk about classified stuff like   
that," he said weakly.  
  
His protests were paid roughly as much attention as   
Hikari's and the questions continued.  
  
"What do they call it? Does it have a name?"  
  
Trying to keep up with the barrage of questions Shinji   
stammered an answer, "I-I'm not sure... but everyone calls it   
Eva or-or U-Unit One"  
  
"Eva huh? What's its best attack?"  
  
A glance over at Kensuke showed that he was listening with   
rapt interest as Shinji tried to explain about some type of   
vibrating knife. At least a couple of students were still in   
their desks she noted with a sigh.  
  
"That's amazing! We are so proud of you!"  
  
"Awesome!"  
  
The bell finally rang and the teacher turned from the   
window to find the class clustered around Ikari. He looked up at   
her with a helpless expression, but all she could do was shrug   
weakly and hope he understood that it was out of her hands.  
  
The whole thing was humiliating-- she had been doing so   
well with the class and now this. Where had she gone wrong? Her   
sister had never let anything like this happen. Had she been too   
lax with them? Was it because she had gone too far the other way   
rather than following her sister's example?  
  
"Well... that's all for this morning" the teacher said as   
Hikari tried to at least get the class to bow like respectable   
people. She didn't have much more luck.  
  
"Where do you live Ikari?"  
  
"Is it near the old section of the city?"  
  
As she shouted a final time for the class to bow, she   
noticed two things.   
  
The first was that Rei hadn't even moved during the entire   
incident, she sat in her seat and looked out the window as she   
had every day since Hikari had known her.  
  
The second was that Touji was watching Shinji with an   
expression not unlike a predator preparing to strike its prey.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Hikari picked through her lunch a little later, she   
tried to get her mind off the incident in class.   
  
They had embarrassed her. That was pretty much the long   
and short of it. To make matters worse-- not only had they   
disrespected her, but they had also insulted the teacher. It   
wasn't something that he was going to overlook-- no mater what   
the circumstances. She was going to have to work hard to make it   
up to him.   
  
Pushing the shameful outburst of her classmates from her   
mind, she soon found herself trying to figure why a meek boy   
like Shinji was the pilot of the robot. She just couldn't   
picture it somehow. She had heard the stories about the fight,   
and from the descriptions after a rough start the thing had   
fought like a wild beast. She didn't see that kind of violence   
in Ikari.   
  
As she was pondering these things, she heard a shout from   
outside the window. Taking a quick look, she could see Touji   
walking toward Ikari, who apparently had been sitting in the   
shade of the building with his music. He had been sitting in the   
same spot for two weeks and she had been considering joining   
him-- she was getting tired of the classroom.   
  
As Touji drew closer she remembered the glare that had   
given the new student mere minutes before... and suddenly she   
was very worried for Ikari. Touji was not a mean person, but he   
had a short temper and was very, very protective of those he   
cared for. If he believed that Shinji was responsible for his   
sister's injuries then the encounter that was about to take   
place was not going to pleasant.   
  
Opening the window, she watched as Suzuhara hauled Shinji   
to his feet and-- to her shock-- he punched him in the face.   
  
"Touji?" she whispered. She hadn't expected him to hit the   
kid, shake him around a bit maybe, but not a full-on punch to   
the face.  
  
As the smaller boy lay on the ground rubbing his cheek, she   
could hear the voices drift up from below as she watched on, too   
surprised to even move.   
  
"Sorry new kid, but I had to hit you. Wouldn't have been   
satisfied till I hit you."  
  
Even though she couldn't believe that her friend had just   
said that, she couldn't completely bring herself to be angry   
with Touji. She knew how much his sister meant to him. She was   
however very disappointed in him. She would have to rake him   
over the coals for this.   
  
Down below Kensuke was making a rather feeble attempt to   
explain what had just happened to a very confused Shinji Ikari  
  
"His sister was hurt pretty bad last time you and your   
robot fought, well that's his excuse anyway." He said as he   
shrugged and began walking away with Touji following.  
  
She was about to run down to see if Shinji was alright and   
make an attempt to apologize more tactfully than Kensuke had   
when she heard Shinji almost growl a response.   
  
Had the acoustics between the buildings not been what they   
were she would have completely missed his words.  
  
"I didn't have a choice, they made me pilot the damn   
thing."  
  
Hikari bit her lower lip lightly as another piece of the   
puzzle that was Shinji Ikari fell into place. She didn't have   
long to consider it however as she saw Touji tense up at that   
and turn. He stormed back over to where Shinji lay on the ground   
and lifted him back up so they were face to face. Shinji didn't   
even look him in the eye as Touji pulled back and hit the   
smaller boy a second time.   
  
"Oh that does it." Hikari muttered as she ran out the door-  
- fully intent on knocking some sense into Touji. There was no   
call for any of that, especially the last part. She was going to   
have a long talk with her friend followed by several hard smacks   
on the head, then he was going to apologize to Shinji. As she   
ran down the stairs, however, those plans were put on hold.   
  
The emergency sirens chose that moment to begin ringing   
out.  
  
There was another attack beginning.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Ever since Tokyo 3 had finished its first stages of   
construction the population had been required to train for rapid   
evacuation to the closest shelters. Hikari wasn't sure just how   
well protected the others were, but she knew that in the   
school's case the walls were more than five feet thick. Added to   
that was the fact that they were fairly deep in a hillside with   
several meters of rock and dirt covering them and three blast   
doors between them and the outside. Inside most of the shelters   
there was room for a couple hundred people without being   
cramped.   
  
As she tried to organize the class, she kept an eye on Aida   
and Suzuhara. She would have to talk with them soon or she would   
be too angry with them to think straight. The more she thought   
back to what had happened she angrier she became. Both of them   
had been her friends for years and she didn't want to lose that,   
but something had to be said and done about this.   
  
Thinking back to what Shinji had said as he lay there on   
the ground she realized that while it explained some things   
about the boy, it raised many new questions.   
  
Obviously he didn't want to do it-- he had said as much by   
implying they had forced him into it. But why did they do that   
in the first place? Why not just find someone who was willing?   
And for that matter, why a fourteen year old kid? Wouldn't it   
have made more sense to use a professional soldier?   
  
She understood more of why he seemed so hurt and afraid   
now. She had heard stories from her uncle about the wars that   
followed Second Impact. Her uncle had been involved in the   
fighting, and she knew from his tales of battle how horrifying   
combat could be. Kensuke's military obsession notwithstanding, a   
person her age would be hard pressed to deal with the stress of   
a war.   
  
As she was thinking of this, she heard Touji hollering her   
name from where he and Kensuke were sitting.   
  
"Hey class rep, we both gotta go to the can!"  
  
As much as she appreciated them letting her know where they   
were going, she really wished that Touji had selected a quieter   
method of informing her. Touji never had been very strong in the   
tact department. She let out a sigh of annoyance, and yelled   
back.  
  
"Is there some reason you didn't go before like you're   
supposed to?"  
  
"Aww comeon! We gotta goooooo"  
  
"OK already!" she yelled, "but hurry, we need to follow procedure,   
this isn't a drill"  
  
The two boys got up and ambled off to the restrooms, and   
she turned back to try to keep the class together. As the   
military began opening fire on the surface, she shuddered.   
  
This was for real.   
  
"Be careful Shinji," she thought as the ground shook   
slightly.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Meanwhile Shinji Ikari was sitting in the entry plug of   
Unit One failing at an attempt to fight off a powerful wave of   
depression.   
  
Shinji knew it was his fault. If he had just gotten into   
this damn thing from the beginning and not tried to run then the   
other boy's sister wouldn't have been hurt. If he had _tried_ to   
pilot the damn thing instead of quaking in fear no one would   
have been hurt.   
  
He wouldn't have been hit.  
  
"Its my fault... all my fault." He thought as the Eva was   
prepared for launch. "What if I do it again? What if someone   
else gets hurt this time?"  
  
"Why am I doing this again?" he muttered aloud, "even after   
I was hit..."  
  
He was almost as afraid as he had been the first time.  
  
He didn't want the guilt; he didn't want the   
responsibility. He didn't want to be depended on for all of   
this, but he didn't have a choice. If he didn't do it then they   
would make Ayanami do it, and she was nowhere near ready. If he   
stayed he would be hurt, and through his actions others would   
likely be hurt. If he left then she would be hurt and more   
people would die if she failed because of her injuries.   
  
He had no choice. He had to focus; he had to pay attention.   
He had to do this right.  
  
"Target the center, pull the switch," He chanted over and   
over, trying to pretend he wasn't afraid.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Hikari frowned as she took another glance at the restrooms.   
Those two had been in there for awhile now. Much too long   
actually. Sighing in annoyance, she turned to one of the other   
girls and asked her to look after things while she went to check   
on the idiot duo.   
  
Making her way across the floor an unpleasant suspicion   
entered her mind. This was followed by a series of even more   
unpleasant realizations.   
  
Kensuke was a military nut.   
  
He had his camera with him.   
  
There was a war going on outside right that moment.   
  
Two plus two equals four.  
  
"Oh hell..." She whispered as she doubled her pace and ran   
down the hall that contained the restrooms. As she rounded a   
corner she saw the thin slant of sunlight, and her heart leapt   
into her throat. The little twerps had gone out to see the   
fight! She ran to the large door and looked outside-- sure   
enough she could see the two making their way up the stairs to a   
hillside shrine that overlooked the city.   
  
"Y-you-you _morons_!" she yelled, despite the fact they   
were well out of earshot. She realized that if she went back for   
someone older or in authority she might lose them, so against   
her better judgement she made her way up the path after the two.  
  
They had been much further along up the stairs than she had   
expected, and it took awhile for her to reach the top. When she   
did she found them standing by a bush watching as a giant red   
and maroon shape reared back in the middle of the city. It was   
hundreds of feet tall and had two glowing tendrils lashing at   
its sides. It looked a bit like a snake, but the resemblance was   
merely a passing one.  
  
Suddenly there was a loud booming crash, and then the side   
of a building nearby the monster began to open. As a shimmering   
heat distortion faded, she was left speechless as an enormous   
shape began moving inside the shadow of the skyscraper.   
  
It was almost as tall as the cobra-like monster, and easily   
as frightening. She was too far away to make out many details   
other than the horn on its forehead, the wing-like extensions on   
its shoulder, and its green, purple and black color scheme.  
  
As she watched, the Eva quickly whipped around the side of   
its building--opening fire on the monster with an enormous   
rifle. She had never seen anything like it, and for a moment she   
fully understood Kensuke's total fascination with such things.   
She couldn't believe how _fast_ it moved! And so fluid too-- not   
at all like she would picture a robot's movements. As the   
thunderous sound of the gun finally reached them, she covered   
her ears and watched on in awe.   
  
Kensuke meanwhile was shouting in rapture at the footage he   
was getting.  
  
"Oh wow, " he said in with tears in his eyes, "I've been   
waiting for this moment all my life!"  
  
He would have been nowhere nearly as excited had he known   
that this phrase had snapped Hikari back to reality and reminded   
her of why she was out there in the first place. Scowling she   
began stalking towards the two.  
  
Meanwhile the monster was making its counterattack on what   
she remembered Shinji refering to as Unit One. The robot had   
leapt out of the way as the whip like arms of the monster shot   
out, cutting through everything in their path. Unit One was now   
lying on the ground as if frozen in place.   
  
"He's losing already?" Touji said as Hikari made it to   
where the boys stood.  
  
"It's not a problem," Kensuke replied, not knowing that   
Hikari had just grabbed Touji by his ear.  
  
"Ow ow ow owowowow!" Touji yelped as Hikari pulled him face   
to face with herself.  
  
"Eep!" was his only reply to her furious glare.  
  
"I'm telling you its gonna be..." Kensuke trailed off as he   
turned to find Hikari standing next to him with one hand on her   
hip and the other wrapped around Touji's ear.  
  
"Just what the _hell_ do you two think you're doing?" she   
yelled as Touji squirmed under her grip. "Listen up you idiots--   
You two come with me right _now_ or else I am going to have to   
get violent. You know I _hate_ being violent so that should give   
you an idea how angry I am."  
  
"But it's an important..." Kensuke began; not yet realizing   
that Hikari was in no mood to debate the issue. She actually   
grabbed him by the hair and hauled him to his feet as the fight   
rumbled on in the distance.  
  
"Shut up and follow me Aida! I don't care if it's your   
last, your first, or only chance to see one of these fights, you   
are going back to the shelter NOW!" she screamed at him, having   
reached the end of her patience with the two. "I'm not going to   
tell you again!"  
  
As Hikari continued to chew them out-- Touji was leaning   
his head back to lessen the pressure on his ear. Having done   
this, he was in a unique angle-- and a perfect one to see the   
giant purple robot sailing through the air.  
  
Right towards them.  
  
The pain in his ear was forgotten as he let out a scream of   
pure, unrestrained terror.  
  
Hikari had let go of Touji as soon as he started to scream,   
but before she could ask what was wrong an enormous shadow   
passed over them. Looking up she saw what Touji had and she   
released a similar shriek of terror. The three of them were   
frozen in horror as Evangelion Unit One slammed into the   
mountainside.   
  
Their inability to move probably saved their lives.  
  
As the huge robot crashed into the hill, the shockwave   
threw the three of them off their feet. When the earth finally   
stopped shaking, Hikari realized that she was still alive and   
let out a deep breath. This breath stopped midway out of her   
lungs as she opened her eyes. Less than two feet from her face   
there was a large purple wall.   
  
Shaking her head and trying to clear her thoughts she took   
another look and realized that it was part of the giant robot's   
hand. Another look around revealed that they were between the   
enormous fingers of said hand.   
  
It wasn't until the red monster began to float towards   
them that she and her friends broke from their shock, and   
started to scream again.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As the Eva smashed into the hillside, Shinji tried to   
remain in control. He was seconds from freaking out and he knew   
it. He had to concentrate! Shaking off the last of his   
disorientation-- he looked around to get his bearings.   
  
That was when he saw the frightened figures huddled   
together mere feet from the Eva's hands. Shocked that he had   
almost killed someone, he flipped the magnification up and   
received yet another surprise. He knew the three; they were in   
his class. One of them was the boy who had hit him.  
  
Fighting back the urge to panic-- he looked back to see the   
Angel floating towards him. It was obviously intending to   
continue their battle.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
In the Command center of Central Dogma, Misato Katsuragi   
was in total control. People who knew her well were always   
surprised to see this side of her; it was a sharp contrast to   
the way she behaved off duty.   
  
Barking orders left and right, she was like a master   
conductor in an orchestra. It was an inspiring sight to see her   
like this, to see her at her best.  
  
Bringing her headset up to her ear she tried to get   
Shinji's attention. The boy was under a great deal of stress,   
and she knew that there was only so much more of this he could   
take in his current state. She also knew that they had little   
choice but to use him for the time being.   
  
"Shinji! Are you ok? Respond!"  
  
Seeing that the pilot was still disoriented she turned to   
the three technicians nearby.  
  
"What's his status? Any damage?"  
  
"Negative" Makoto quickly replied "it's still operational"  
  
Then, just as Shinji was increasing the magnification on   
his screens, the computers displayed three photos and sets of   
information.  
  
"Shinji's classmates?" Misato said in slight confusion. She   
didn't have time to figure out the 'why' of the kids being   
there. She simply accepted it and factored it into her battle   
plans.  
  
Ritsuko didn't think like Misato, so in contrast to   
coworker's cool reaction-- her mouth fell open as she yelled,   
"What the hell are they doing out there?"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Meanwhile, Shinji was doing his best to simultaneously fend   
off another attack and prevent the Eva from crushing his   
schoolmates  
  
As he grabbed one of the glowing tentacle whips the Angel   
was lashing at him-- he could hear shouting from his external   
pickups.  
  
"Why isn't he fighting back?" the tall boy who had hit him   
yelled as the girl he now recognized as the class representative   
tried to pull the two away from the fight. He gritted his teeth,   
steeling himself against the synthetic pain he felt as the whips   
were beginning to burn into the Eva's hands.  
  
"He can't because we're here!" the kid with glasses yelled   
back over the crackling sound of the Evas burning hands, "he's   
trying not to fall on us"  
  
'Come on Horaki,' Shinji thought, 'get em away before I   
lose power!'  
  
Over his communication link he heard one of the bridge crew   
announce that he only had three minutes of time left.   
  
Suddenly, to his relief, Misato opened a channel and   
informed him of the new plan.  
  
"Shinji! Let them into the entry plug with you. After   
they're safe retreat... we'll try this again with full power."  
  
In the background he could hear doctor Akagi yell at his   
guardian. "Just what makes you think that unauthorized civilians   
can be allowed into the _entry plug_?"  
  
"I'm authorizing it" Misato said coolly   
  
"You're exceeding your authority _captain_" Ritsuko   
replied. He could hear the annoyance in the doctor's voice as   
she put an extra emphasis on Misato's rank, and wondered what it   
was about the plan was so upsetting to her.   
  
As the technician announced the remaining time again Misato   
came back across the channel with his orders.  
  
"Lock in the Eva's current commands and eject the   
Entryplug, and hurry, we don't have much time!"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Look!" Kensuke shouted as Hikari tried to pull them away   
from the dueling titans.  
  
Despite the fact that she was trying to get her friends as   
far away from what was going on behind her, she risked a glance   
back and was just in time to see the Eva's head lean forward as   
its back opened up. A white cylinder spun out of the body and a   
loud, commanding female voice came over a speaker somewhere on   
the machine.  
  
"You three get inside now!" the voice shouted over the din.  
  
Not knowing what else to do the three raced up to the now   
open hatch on the cylinder. To his credit Touji helped her up   
and over into the hatch where she suddenly found herself neck   
deep in some type of liquid. She didn't even have time to scream   
because as Touji jumped in, the hatch closed and the liquid rose   
to the top, covering her entirely.   
  
Trying to hold her breath and keep from screaming in   
terror, she was a bit surprised to hear Kensuke scream quite   
clearly.   
  
"My camera, my camera!"  
  
What was this stuff?   
  
"What is this? Water?" Touji yelled, completely confused as   
to how he was able to breathe.  
  
Hikari looked down and saw Shinji Ikari looking up at a   
display screen with a grim look on his face. Realizing that he   
was breathing the liquid stuff, she closed her eyes and took her   
first breath. For the first few seconds it felt like someone had   
poured ice water into her lungs, and she had to fight not to   
vomit. The second breath went better, and by the third she found   
that while the stuff was unpleasant to smell and taste-- it   
didn't seem to be hurting her  
  
She began to hear shouts of panic over a radio as someone   
said something about loosing nerve connections and too much   
thought noise.  
  
The Eva reactivated and Shinji's shoulders tensed up as the   
Eva threw the Angel down the hill. His eyes looked more than   
haunted now; they looked completely hollow. He was chanting   
something under his breath that she couldn't make out.  
  
The woman who had ordered them in the cylinder shouted for   
Shinji to retreat and began giving directions. Shinji just   
looked out at the Angel as the Eva stood with a look on his face   
that she realized she had seen before. It had been weeks ago   
after his first day in school, and he had been watching the city   
transform to battle formation. That same lost look...   
  
"New kid, hey new kid! She said retreat! You gotta run!" Touji   
shouted, lost in panic.  
  
For the moment she was in total agreement with Touji-- her   
top priority was getting her friends away from the giant red   
monster.  
  
"Shinji, you gotta go, hurry, please..." she started, but   
suddenly trailed off as she heard Shinji' voice.   
  
She could hear him much clearer now that she was used to   
the liquid, and could just make out the words as he chanted them   
like a mantra growing louder and louder with each repetition.  
  
"I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away."  
  
"Shinji?" she said hesitantly. This was, to say the least, odd   
behavior for a combat pilot.  
  
Something moved on the Eva, and as strange as it seemed,   
she could almost feel it. At the same time a display that said   
'progressive knife engaged' lit up in the corner of the screen.  
  
Over the radio the woman was shouting for Shinji to retreat   
over and over, but Shinji seemed to ignore this. From one of the   
screens she could see the Eva reach up and pulled the blade from   
somewhere on its shoulder.  
  
A timer in another corner went red and displayed a   
countdown, and Shinji's chant reached its peak. Suddenly, with a   
wild look taking hold of his face, he launched his body forward,   
gripping his controls and letting out a blood-curdling scream.  
  
As the three passengers backed away from the front of the   
cockpit in fear, the Eva leapt down the slope, its knife at   
ready as the monster attacked with its tentacles. The woman in   
charge screamed for him to stop as the tentacles struck the Eva   
in the abdomen. Other than a small grimace of pain, this didn't   
even seem to faze Shinji-- who put everything he had into   
driving the knife into a red sphere in the center of the   
monster's 'chest'.  
  
His screams driving him forward, Shinji pushed the knife   
deeper into the monster as Hikari and the two boys cowered to   
the back of the cockpit, almost as afraid of the enraged pilot   
as of the monster he was attacking.   
  
Finally just as the timer hit zero, the monster seemed to   
slump forward. The Eva did likewise and the two giants stood   
there, locked into place, each bracing the other.  
  
After what felt like an eternity, Hikari pulled herself   
away from the other two and climbed up to the front where she   
found Shinji sobbing against the controls of the robot. He   
seemed to have lost whatever had possessed him moments before.   
As she watched him, she thought of the look in his eyes as he   
had attacked at that last moment. She had never in her life seen   
anything close to that level of anger and rage. It frightened   
her, and she couldn't think of anything to do or say. Feeling   
something move beside her, she turned and found Kensuke and   
Touji had joined her at the edge of the pilot's seat. The guilty   
look on Touji's face gave her a touch of relief-- but it didn't   
get him off the hook. He was going to make up for what he had   
done... or else.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
With a heavy heart Hikari Horaki walked to school in the   
rain.  
  
It had been three days. Three days since they had climbed   
into that thing and watched Shinji fight. She still felt angry   
with herself for not trying to comfort him afterwards-- he had   
needed someone to help him at that moment and she had backed   
away. What about it had frightened her so much? The actual   
fight? Or was it seeing the quiet boy she had met a few days   
before change so dramatically in the heat of battle? That might   
have been it-- it was never pleasant to see the kind of anger   
people kept locked away be released.   
  
They hadn't been left in the plug very long. Once the thing   
that Shinji called an Angel had been confirmed dead-- a   
helicopter had been sent out to pick them up. Shinji had been   
little more than a ghost during that ride back. Even when   
Kensuke tried to talk with him the boy simply didn't respond.   
When they landed a woman in a red jacket had spirited him away   
as the rest of them waited in a small office. Eventually a blond   
woman in a lab coat had come to see them, but why she was there   
Hikari never found out. She had taken a blood sample from each   
of them and left just as quickly as she came.  
  
When the woman with the red jacket finally returned she   
identified herself as Captain Misato Katsuragi of Nerv. Hikari   
recognized the name immediately; the woman was Shinji's   
guardian. After going over each of their stories fifteen times,   
she began to chew the boys out. Kensuke looked absolutely   
heartbroken to find that she was considering placing the   
incident in his permanent record. If that happened then all his   
dreams of military schools would be dashed.   
  
The woman had yelled at them for another hour, but the people   
from Nerv hadn't punished them. That was going to come when the   
school board called her in for a review in a few weeks. She was   
fairly certain that she would be stripped of her position. Touji   
and Kensuke felt terrible about it, and had promised to make it   
up to her somehow-- but she had told them in very sharp angry   
words that it wasn't her that they should make anything up to.   
Touji had promised to apologize to Shinji, but he was going to   
have to wait. Ever since the fight Shinji had been absent from   
class.   
  
As she walked into the classroom she checked her mail and   
rested her head in her hands. An indefinite amount of time later   
she was awakened from her nap by the sound of Touji and Kensuke   
talking.   
  
"Three days counting today..." Touji said in a voice that   
reflected the day's weather: gloomy.  
  
"Since we got chewed out?"  
  
"No... since he came to class."  
  
She was a little surprised-- Touji was a very stubborn   
person, and despite his promises to apologize to Shinji-- for   
him to drop his ego so quickly and be concerned was a little   
unusual for him.  
  
"So you're worried?"  
  
"Well I wouldn't exactly say worried..."  
  
Then again, maybe not.  
  
"Look Touji..." Kensuke said reaching into his bag and   
removing a slip of paper, "for someone who makes such a habit of   
being as tactless as you tend to be, you're being pretty hesitant  
here, aren't you? If you had just apologized after the fight   
you wouldn't be moping around like this."  
  
Hikari smiled-- Kensuke had come through after all. He   
might be a pain, but she had to admit, he knew his way around a   
computer.   
  
"Look... this is the new kid's number. Why don't you call   
and ask if he's OK? Then you won't have to be worried about the   
whole thing, and you won't drive me crazy by pretending you   
aren't."  
  
Touji took the slip of paper and looked at it for a moment   
before standing and heading to the door. As he passed Hikari she   
gave him a smile and a nod, letting him know she was proud of   
him.   
  
"I'll call him after lunch" Touji said dismissavly.   
  
Hikari frowned at that. She knew the boy too well-- he was   
going to put it off and forget about it. Kensuke was just as   
bad; he still had half of Touji's paperwork in his desk. She   
decided that she was through playing around with these two and   
stood up.   
  
"Suzuhara, you are going to go right out to that phone and   
call Shinji this moment or your going to be on cleanup for the   
rest of the year! Or do you need _another_ dozen knots on that   
head of yours?"   
  
Touji flinched at that. We and Kensuke were already   
sentenced to a month of cleaning duty for their little screwup,   
and the only reason Hikari hadn't made it for longer is that she   
didn't think she would be around to enforce it after the review.   
Of course, that hadn't stopped her from punishing them in other   
ways.  
  
As Touji stepped outside to make his call, she turned to   
Kensuke.  
  
"And as for you..." she said sternly, as Kensuke shrunk   
back into his desk, "when Shinji comes back I want you to try   
and be nicer to him, your little 'that's his excuse' bit was the   
lamest thing I've ever heard you say. I don't care if you just   
do it because he's the pilot, but try to be his friend. You and   
Touji have known one another since you were kids, but in his   
case I don't think he's had a friend like that before."  
  
"You're kidding?" Kensuke said with no small measure of   
surprise, "come to think of it that would explain a lot... don't   
worry class rep, I accept my mission"  
  
"Don't salute me again-- I still haven't let you off the   
hook. What are you doing this weekend? Still going out to the   
rice fields?"  
  
"You know me too well Hikari," Kensuke said with a grin.  
  
"If you see Shinji, invite him along. It might do him some   
good."  
  
Well that solved one problem. She didn't like ordering   
people around like that but if she didn't do something then the   
idiot duo would find a thousand reasons to avoid their   
responsibilities. Hopefully Shinji wasn't too disgusted by them   
to accept their friendship. Hopefully somehow this would help   
her feel better for shrinking away from him when he had needed   
her help. Hopefully he was going to come back.  
  
Looking out at Touji standing by the phone in the hall, she   
hoped he made good on his promise to make up with Shinji, she   
had never met anyone in such desperate need of friendship.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Several blocks away in the apartment of Misato Katsuragi, a   
cellular phone sat on a desk beside a note and an ID card. The   
phone began to ring, but there was no one there to answer.   
  
  
[]=====================[]  
To be Continued...  
[]=====================[]  
  
  
  
  
Authors incoherent babbling:  
  
Well there's part one.   
  
Yes, yes I _know_ this is mostly a novelization of episode   
three with a few changes. I'm afraid that it had to be that way   
in order to set up the rest of the story. What I am trying to do   
here is to start slowly and build as I go. The changes will   
begin to add up as the story progresses. Be patient grasshopper.   
  
So what is to be expected in this new timeline? Well I'll   
give ya a hint; some events are far too huge for this to have   
any effect, other events will be dramatically altered due to the   
changes. I don't see anything here stopping Angel attacks, but   
personal stuff? That's all free game. Shinji and Hikari... a shy   
quiet young man and a sweet cheerful young lady. What effects   
will her friendship have on Shinji? Will their growing   
relationship be the tiny element that makes a difference in the   
scheme of things? Could something so simple as this alter the   
fate of the world?   
  
Let's find out shall we?  
  
For those who are wondering, the exact moment I'm breaking   
the timeline is when Hikari sees Touji hit Shinji. It's a subtle   
thing... but I felt it was an appropriate catalyst for the   
story. From this point all bets are off for domestic and school   
scenes. Some will still follow the same path, such as Asuka's   
introduction. Only after time will the changes in Shinji's   
behavior begin to affect even Der Redhead. As the story   
progresses the changes will grow. Hopefully we can give a ray of   
light and hope to some kids trapped in a no-win scenario   
  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freyellow.com/chainlightning.html  
  
  



	3. Book One Part Two

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein   
are the property of Gainax. They are used without permission   
and we beg the kind and benevolent creators of the glorious   
show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents   
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
And that is how I know  
When I try to get through  
On the telephone to you  
There'll be nobody home  
Nobody Home  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
[]===============[]  
Book: 1 Part: 2  
[]===============[]  
  
  
It was raining, again.   
  
It had been raining a lot lately, and this was after almost   
two months of drout. The meteorologists had all but given up on   
trying to predict what the weather would do next. Ever since   
Second Impact the seasons had none nuts and the entire planet's   
weather patterns had been sent on a haywire series of changes.   
What all this meant was that for the past few years Tokyo Three   
and the rest of Japan had been subjected to almost random changes   
in weather and climate. Almost all of mankind's meteorological   
knowledge was based on decades of studying patterns in the   
planet's weather. With the entire ecosystem in havoc, those   
patterns had been shattered and the weathermen were starting from   
scratch.  
  
As far as Kensuke Aida was concerned it was no big deal. if   
the weather got too bad it would simply make his weekend plans   
all the more exciting. He was all packed up for his trip and all   
that was keeping him was his promise to Hikari.   
  
He and Touji Suzuhara were still in hock with her over a   
couple of little incidents earlier that week. Apparently Hikari   
had seen their little meeting with their class's newest student   
Shinji Ikari and had not approved of Touji's welcoming gift in   
the slightest. Having known Touji most of his life Kensuke   
couldn't really say he had been surprised at his friends   
behavior, but he didn't have to like it.   
  
Personally Kensuke was embarrassed by Touji's response,   
which had been to hit Shinji in the face. Touji was a nice guy,   
but when it came to things and people he loved his brain simply   
stopped functioning and instinct took over. It wasn't the best   
way to deal with the situation Kensuke knew, and he also knew   
just how cruel it must have seemed to Shinji at the time. His own   
response had been rather pathetic and Hikari was still angry with   
the both of them for that and the other little incident later   
that day.  
  
At the moment it was the former that concerned the two.  
  
As they walked through the downpour, Kensuke found himself   
rambling on about his favorite subject. For a self proclaimed   
'military nut' living in Tokyo Three, this could only be related   
to Nerv.  
  
"So what I think," he told Touji as they walked into the   
apartment complex's entrance, "is that it's not just a robot."  
  
"Run this past me again?" Touji asked as he wiped his feet   
on the provided mat.  
  
"Well when I got my stuff back, I ran a file recovery   
program on the disks and got a little bit of the footage back."  
  
"I still don't know how that thing survived"  
  
"It's a full environmental model. Don't you remember the   
underwater film I made at the beach last semester?"  
  
"Oh yeah... I particularly remember you getting in trouble   
for the shots of the girls."  
  
"Hey, don't forget you got a third of the money we made off   
that tape for coming up with the idea. Anyway I took a closer   
look at the frames when the Eva pulled that huge knife, and I   
think that the hands had some kind of glove-- because those whip   
things burnt some of it away."  
  
"Right, and this is where you're loosing me. Why does a   
robot the size of a skyscraper need a glove?"  
  
"Ugh...That sounds like the setup to a bad joke, but to   
answer your question-- I'm not so sure it's a robot at all! The   
footage isn't clear, but I think there's a _hand_ under that   
glove."  
  
"Well duh, of course it's a hand."  
  
"No, no, no, I mean like yours and mine!"  
  
"Wait a second... are you saying that the thing is alive?   
Like some kind of monster in armor?"  
  
"I don't know, but that's what I suspect."  
  
"I don't know where you keep coming up with this kind of   
stuff, Kensuke. It sounds like something out of... I dunno...   
Ultraman or something."  
  
"You may mock all you want, but I have the proof on tape."  
  
"Right, the same one that Nerv will probably lock you away   
forever for just owning."  
  
"Well there is that... what apartment number was it again?"  
  
"I think it's on the eleventh floor."  
  
"Well then... let's get this over with. I can't imagine   
Shinji's gonna be too happy to see us... well to see _you_   
anyway"  
  
"Oh shut up."  
  
"Okay then, but one more point on that subject. Just what   
are you planning on saying to him anyway? He's not going to   
forgive you that easily for pounding him into the pavement like   
that."  
  
"Don't worry, I think I have an idea."  
  
"Touji, its when you get these ideas that I _start_ to   
worry."  
  
"Relax, I think this will work."  
  
"You gonna let me in on the big plan?"  
  
"Naw, you'll just think its lame and try and talk me out of   
it."  
  
"Well someone's gotta try to keep you out of trouble until   
you learn some tact."   
  
"Tact is just not saying true stuff, I'll pass."  
  
"... Remind me again why I put up with you?"  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Misato Katsuragi was worried.  
  
She had been afraid Shinji might pull something like this   
sooner or later, but she frankly wasn't expecting it this early.   
From the beginning she had known that Shinji might not be up to   
the stress his position as pilot would bring upon him. He was   
shy, meek and polite-- generally a pleasant person once you got   
him talking, but that was also the problem. A meek, shy person   
didn't make for the best pilot material. She would be glad when   
the Second Child and Unit Two arrived; at least then they would   
have a pilot who _wanted_ to be there.   
  
It was strange that Shinji had such a remarkable talent for   
Eva. If his training was ever completed-- Ritsuko was predicting   
that his skills would eventually surpass even the Second Child.   
That made his unease with the position all the more tragic. Had   
they found him earlier and had the proper time to prepare him...   
Shinji might have had an easier time. Unfortunately that had not   
been the case.   
  
Shinji had arrived literally at the last moment as the Third   
Angel began its attack. The timing could have only been worse if   
he hadn't arrived at all. Rei's accident shortly before that had   
necessitated their calling him in. She found it all to be a   
little too convenient, but Shinji had been able to synch with   
Unit One the first time in and despite enormous obstacles he had   
won his first fight over Tokyo Three.  
  
The victory had been little consolation to him however. He   
didn't want to be there. He didn't want to pilot. He didn't want   
to be anywhere near his father.  
  
Gendou Ikari... if it hadn't been for the general   
resemblance and a similar lack of social skills, Misato would   
hardly have believed the two were related. The Commander was...   
cold. That was the best way to describe it. He hardly seemed to   
display any emotion save an occasional smug amusement when things   
went as he planed... which was often. He hid everything behind   
those glasses and his favored sitting position, which placed his   
hands steepled before his face. The bridge crew had a bet going   
with her that Ikari would never assume his seat in the command   
center without sitting like that... so far she was making a few   
hundred yen with each battle.  
  
Despite the fact that he was making her drinking money, she   
could say with total honesty that she didn't like him.  
  
She could also say that when it came down to it, Nerv needed   
his ruthlessness to stay on top of all the bureaucratic nonsense   
they had to deal with.   
  
That didn't mean she had to like him, or the way he treated   
his son. If anyone were to blame for the current situation she   
would have to say it was the Commander. Shinji had come to Tokyo   
Three under false pretenses. He had believed that his father was   
attempting a second chance for them to live together, that his   
father wanted him again. She hadn't pressed Shinji for   
information, but apparently they'd had a fight three years before   
and Shinji hadn't seen the man since.   
  
She wondered whether Shinji would have come had he known the   
truth from the beginning.   
  
He might have, but then again... it was difficult to tell   
with Shinji. He had at first refused to climb into Unit One, and   
possibly would have left had they not played a trump card on him.   
  
One she was glad she had no part in setting up.   
  
Rei Ayanami's injuries prevented her from being an acceptable   
candidate to pilot the Eva for the time being; hence Shinji's   
arrival. Bringing her out on that stretcher... rubbing Shinji's   
nose in his decision like that was a cold-hearted move that only   
Commander Ikari could have come up with. The fact that it worked   
didn't make her feel any better.   
  
Shinji had stayed on, but the poor kid had continued to pilot   
under a growing cloud of guilt and regret that was painfully   
obvious in his manner and attitude. Misato had seen the current   
situation approaching like a runaway train, but she just hadn't   
been able to think of a way to prevent it. If Shinji honestly   
felt the way he said he had after the fourth angel then wouldn't   
it be better for him if he was allowed out?   
  
Now he had run away.   
  
Perhaps it was for the best. It was a shame that Section Two   
didn't see it that way.  
  
She was thinking of this and polishing off her third beer of   
the morning when the doorbell rang.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
They had arrived at the apartment that was listed as   
Shinji's and had barely rung the doorbell when a gorgeous woman   
they had seen once before flung open the door with a wild look in   
her eyes.  
  
"Shinji?" she cried in a panic before she realized that it   
wasn't the boy in question.  
  
Touji and Kensuke could only stand there in surprise. The   
last time they had seen this woman had been after the incident   
with the robot. She had been the one who spent an hour yelling at   
them and explaining in painfully graphic detail what would happen   
if they ever did it again. She had been gorgeous when she was   
angry, and was even more so now.  
  
Recovering more quickly than his companion, Kensuke politely   
corrected her.  
  
"Please excuse us for the intrusion Ma'am, we're Shinji's   
classmates Aida and Suzuhara."  
  
The woman, who Kensuke now remembered to be Captain   
Katsuragi, went through several facial expressions in less than a   
second-- this ranged form concerned, to confused, to relieved, to   
angry, and finally coming to rest with a happy-carefree   
expression. The smile that came to rest on her face immediately   
reduced the two young men to putty in her hands.  
  
"Oh? Aida and Suzuhara?"  
  
Kensuke began to reply in an affirmative when Touji cut him   
off with a stiff response.  
  
"Yes Ma'am, I am Suzuhara!" He said as if he were in boot   
camp speaking to a drill sergeant. Not that Kensuke could blame   
him, she was quite the babe-- and that smile was more than enough   
to send a guy's brains flying out the window. Had he not been so   
amused by Touji's response he would probably be mimicking it…   
well more so than he was already.  
  
"Hmmm," Miss Katsuragi said thoughtfully, " weren't you the   
ones who got into Unit One's entry plug the other day?"  
  
"Yes ma'am, we are very sorry for causing so much trouble   
for you mam," Touji replied as rigidly as before, " Ikari hasn't   
been to school since then and we came by to see how he was   
doing."  
  
Misato chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, Kensuke   
thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen. "I see,"   
she told them, "Shinji... he's... well, at the Nerv training   
center right now."   
  
Had he not been so completely smitten by Misato Katsuragi   
Kensuke would have noticed how unconvincing this sounded.   
However, at the moment he was experiencing a common condition   
males must endure when the blood flow is diverted from the brain   
to other parts of anatomy-- that of impaired coherent thought.   
  
Touji was still standing at complete attention and bowing at   
every other word, Kensuke on the other hand was a bit more alert.   
While he was slightly disappointed that Shinji's wasn't home, but   
somehow he managed to remember another item Hikari had charged   
them with.  
  
"I see," he said, "Well ma'am if you could give these to him   
when you see him we would be in your debt, they're the printouts   
that were building up on his desk."  
  
"Oh, well sorry for all the trouble, thank you." She said as   
she took the printouts in question.  
  
"Well we'll be going now, say hi to Shinji for us" Kensuke   
said pleasantly as he tried not too ooglle the Captain too   
obviously.  
  
Misato flashed the two another brilliant smile as she shut   
the door.   
  
"Ok, I will," she told them, "thanks again, buh bye"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As the door shut Kensuke looked at Touji. Touji looked back   
at his friend and they both let out a breath they had been   
holding in identical attempts to suck in their guts and puff up   
their chests.  
  
"Well this is an unexpected turn of events," Kensuke said in   
wonder.  
  
"She was a total babe!" Touji agreed in a similarly awed   
voice.   
  
"You realize that... Shinji lives with her?"  
  
" I can't believe it," Touji said as they walked back to the   
elevators, "how did he end up with such a gorgeous... this is   
just... hey did you hear something?"  
  
"Hmm? Probably just someone upstairs dropped something. But   
back to the important part, she 's a heavy hitter in Nerv!"  
  
"Wait a sec... you're right for a change! That was _her_   
voice in the cockpit!"  
  
"Exactly! And --lets not forget-- the most humiliating hour   
I think either of us have ever had to endure."   
  
"I was trying to forget most of that, thanks."  
  
"How do you think Shinji managed that? I mean he gets to   
live with… my God she 's beautiful!"  
  
"Down boy! Let's not forget that now we still have to   
explain to Hikari that Shinji wasn't there. Think she'll ever buy   
the truth?"  
  
"Let me handle that. You concentrate on your apology to   
Shinji."  
  
"I leave it in your capable hands Kensuke."  
  
"Keep that philosophy in mind and you will go far my friend"  
  
"Oh get over yourself." Touji said with a laugh as they   
walked back out in to the rain soaked streets.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Later that night, as Misato was about to climb into the tub,   
she heard her phone ring. Jumping back out of the bathroom, she   
stumbled over a pile of instant food boxes and just barely   
managed to grab the phone before the machine picked it up. Hoping   
against hope, she greeted the other person on the line, praying   
that it was Shinji.   
  
"Katsuragi residence!" Misato said with forced cheerfulness.  
  
It wasn't him; the voice on the other end belonged to a   
young girl-- and sounded vaguely familiar.   
  
"Hello, Miss Katsuragi, my name is Hikari Horaki-- I'm one   
of Shinji Ikari's classmates. Is he there, please?"  
  
'What the hell is the deal today?' Misato thought as she   
answered.   
  
"Sorry, Shinji is at the Nerv training facilities, he won't   
be back for awhile."   
  
'At least it doesn't sound fake this time' she thought.  
  
"Oh, I see... well, I needed to speak with you also, Miss   
Katsuragi... if you have the time that is." The young girl   
politely responded.  
  
Misato was suspicious, but tried not to let it come out in   
her voice. "Of course Miss Horaki, what's on your mind?" she said   
cheerfully.  
  
"Well, you know that couple of other students and myself   
were the ones that got caught up in the fight the other day," she   
said with an almost audible blush, "and the thing is that I saw   
Shinji after the fight... I feel bad that I didn't try to at   
least talk to him after that. I want to let him know I'm sorry   
but I don't want to seem like I'm just trying to suck up to him   
because he's a Nerv Pilot. He got enough of that when the class   
found out."  
  
Misato wanted to believe what she was hearing, but she had   
believed for too long that if something sounded too good to be   
true-- then it usually was. "Well I don't know when I'll see him   
again, would you like me to pass along anything?"  
  
The girl sighed. " I don't know, I want to, but I can't   
think of anything that wouldn't sound phony. I've been meaning to   
talk with him for a week, but my duties as Class rep have kept me   
so tied up that I've hardly had time to even _think_ about   
anything outside of school."  
  
"Hmm," Misato said thoughtfully, "well... speaking from   
experience, when you have a stressful job its imperative to keep   
a time of your day or week open to forget about work and leave   
all your worries behind. You know... just a chance to let loose   
and relax."  
  
"I wish I had the time, I think I've already overscheduled   
myself. But I'll bear that in mind Miss Katsuragi."  
  
"Oh call me Misato, I don't mind."   
  
"If you insist..."   
  
Misato could tell the girl was unused to this-- younger   
people were always thrown off balance when she insisted on being   
on a fist name basis.  
  
"So tell me," Misato said, now less suspicious of the girl,   
" what's Shinji like in class? He hardly ever talks about his   
day."  
  
The girl sighed. "In his case that might be because there   
isn't much to talk _about_. He keeps to himself and hardly ever   
talks to anyone. To be honest that's part of the reason I'm so   
worried about him. He hasn't given himself a chance to make any   
friends and now with everyone knowing he's a Pilot..."  
  
"It's going to be even harder," Misato finished. She shook   
her head sadly, "Hedgehogs dilemma..." she added softly.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, just something someone said the other day.   
Listen... when I see Shinji I'll let him know you were worried   
about him. In the meantime I want you to keep something in mind.   
Shinji hasn't had many friends in his life and he doesn't really   
know how to act around people. Just be patient with him ok?"  
  
"Thank you Miss Katsu- I mean Misato. Oh, one more thing,   
did a couple of boys stop by your home today? The ones from the   
incident I mean."  
  
"Yes, Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara I believe."  
  
"Good, I just wanted to make sure. Thanks again."  
  
"Anytime Hikari, you take care of yourself okay? G'nite!"  
  
As Misato hung up and got into the warm bath, she let out a   
sigh. 'Shinji, you have the worst sense of timing I have ever   
seen...' she thought as she settled into the steaming water,   
'please come back.'   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
He had been on the move the entire day and he was exhausted.  
  
As Shinji sat in the theater, he tried to let himself relax.   
Even when he had been on the train he hadn't been resting. It had   
been the only place he had been able hide at the time. He knew   
that there were several well-trained security officers assigned   
to keep an eye on him, and while he was confident they had lost   
track of him hours ago-- he had no illusions of avoiding them   
forever.   
  
But for the time being he could at least try. Staying on the   
train all day had been the first idea, and it seemed to have   
worked. He figured that while one of the first places the spooks   
checked would have been the stations, they might not check the   
actual cars themselves. He had bet on them merely watching the   
crowds boarding and exiting. So he had figured if he stayed on   
board, they might not find him.   
  
That had been around seven in the morning and it was well   
past midnight now, so he assumed it had worked. Eventually the   
train had gone out of service and he had to leave. After that he   
had wandered Tokyo Three for a few hours before coming across the   
all night theater where he was now sitting.   
  
He just didn't know what he was going to do. He was going to   
be in a lot of trouble once they found him, he knew that much. It   
was what would happen after that which had him frightened   
however.  
  
He didn't want to get into the Eva again. When they took him   
back they would make him. It terrified him... every time the Eva   
was hurt he could feel it, and several times he had almost been   
killed. But that wasn't the worst of it.   
  
The first time out something had happened... something he   
didn't remember.   
  
He remembered the angel picking the Eva up, and the impact   
as its hand weapon struck the armor of the Eva's head again and   
again, but once it had broken through, everything was a blur.   
They'd told him much later that the Eva reactivated and had gone   
into a berserker rage. It had ripped into the Angel like a thing   
possessed and had nearly succeeded in tearing it to pieces before   
the enemy had self-destructed. When the dust settled the Eva   
stood victorious amongst the wreckage.   
  
Moments later he remembered the lights in the Entryplug   
turning back on. He remembered the screens coming back to life   
and a dull throbbing ache above his right eye. He had been   
looking around, trying to get his bearings when something dark   
passed in front of the view. As the dust cleared around him he   
had looked out the viewer at a building beside the Eva. The   
reflection in the glass showed that the top portion of the Eva's   
head armor had fallen away, revealing a face beneath. His memory   
of just what it looked like was unclear, but he did finally   
remember its eye opening and seemingly staring back at him.   
  
That had been when he passed out.  
  
That he had lost control of such a dangerous weapon   
horrified him. Just how much control did he have in the first   
place? Even more frightening-- was it the Eva that had really   
gone wild? After the fourth Angel he was no longer as certain.   
During that battle he had lost control of _himself_ then and it   
disturbed him to know that he was capable of that level of rage.   
What would happen if it occurred again? Would he have the control   
necessary to stop before anyone got hurt? Or worse yet, what if   
it happened outside the Eva? What if _he_ hurt someone?  
  
He had never been comfortable with the responsibility and   
guilt, and each time he climbed into that thing it made things   
worse. How could he keep doing it when he could barely stand it   
now?  
  
Suddenly-- a movement within the theater snapped him back to   
reality. Someone was moving a few rows down. As his eyes swam   
back into focus, Shinji saw that it was a young couple. He hadn't   
seen them come in, and other than some guy sleeping up front he   
hadn't known anyone else was there.   
  
He heard a giggle drift up and realized that the two were   
kissing. Shinji had envied other people for many things in his   
life. Some people he envied the relationship with their parents,   
sometimes it was the ease with which they dealt with other   
people, or the fearlessness they showed in the face of failure.   
As he watched the two making out several seats down, he felt a   
fresh wave of jealousy sweep over him.  
  
He hadn't had many friends in his life, just a few   
acquaintances when he was younger, and he'd never had anything   
even resembling a girlfriend. Until a year or two ago he hadn't   
even considered it. It struck him suddenly that these two were   
obviously closer to one another than he had ever felt to anyone   
in his life.   
  
A scowl crossing his face, he gathered his things and   
wandered out into the lobby. Looking around, he quickly found a   
secluded bench hidden by a snack machine and curled up on it to   
get some sleep. As he turned to the wall to block some of the   
light, he found himself thinking about the couple inside. What   
would it be like to have someone like that? Someone who he could   
be open and honest with? Someone he could actually trust?  
  
'Shut up' he told himself, 'why would anyone want a coward   
like me anyway?'  
  
After a while he fell into a restless sleep.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Hikari woke up from her nightmare with a start. She was   
covered in sweat and her breathing was rapid. While she tried to   
calm down, she mentally cussed out Kensuke and Touji for getting   
her mixed up in the battle. She hadn't had nightmares for years,   
and now she was having them every other night. They all ended the   
same too-- a giant purple hand would fall from the sky and this   
time it wouldn't miss...  
  
Knowing that it was unlikely that she would be able to get   
back to sleep, she showered and decided to take Misato's advice   
to spend some time for herself. Dressing and leaving a note for   
her sisters she stepped outside and started into town.   
  
She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't mind;   
she just wanted to get away for an hour or two and reflect on the   
past week. Her conversation with Misato had gone even better than   
she had planed and she felt she had a chance with getting her   
friends and Shinji to put everything behind them. She hoped   
Shinji got back from training soon, she needed to let him know   
that Touji and Kensuke weren't like the poor first impression he   
had received of them.   
  
As she wandered around town, the sun started to rise in the   
distance, and a rosy tint took hold of the sky. Standing at the   
outskirts of one of Tokyo Three's parks, she leaned against a   
rail and watched the sky grow brighter. She was so caught up in   
this that she almost missed the sound of rapid footfalls behind   
her.   
  
Turning, she was just in time to see Shinji run around a   
corner and in her direction. Had she not turned and taken a step   
back too see who it was, they might have missed one another   
entirely. As it was he was in such a panic that he did miss her   
and had she not shouted his name, he most likely would have run   
right past.   
  
Hearing someone call his name, he slowed to a stop and his   
frightened expression dissolved into confusion as he saw her   
waving from the rail.   
  
He stood there across the street for several moments and she   
saw his hand twitch slightly. Finally he seemed to reach a   
dissension and walked over to greet her.  
  
"Good morning Miss Horaki."   
  
"Morning Shinji, no need to be so formal." She replied--   
smiling as she remembered his guardian saying almost the same   
thing to _her_.  
  
"Oh… okay then. Good morning Hikari."  
  
"That's better. So what brings you out here so early   
Shinji?"  
  
His face immediately changed from a look of shy hesitation   
to a cold mask that she couldn't read at all. He muttered   
something that sounded like "nothing" and she decided that this   
topic might not be the best to start out with.  
  
Changing tracks she asked how his training at Nerv was   
going. This went even worse as he lowered his head and actually   
backed away.   
  
'Think Hikari,' she told herself ' _something_ has gotta   
get him interested enough to say more than three words' she knew   
she had to say something quick-- he looked like he was about to   
run away.  
  
"Hey Shinji, I was about to go get some breakfast, want to   
join me?" she said, not knowing what else to try.  
  
He considered that for a moment, then finally nodded. "If   
it's not too much of an imposition..."   
  
"Not at all, breakfast is no fun if there's no one to share   
it with-- at least that's what my mom always used to say."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Shinji, we've been missing you at school," she said later   
as they ate, "how much longer do you think your training session   
will last?"   
  
"Training?" he asked with slight confusion.  
  
"Captain Katsuragi told me that you were off at one of the   
training facilities."  
  
"Oh," he said with a nod, as if what she had just told him   
had filled in a piece of a puzzle, "when did you talk with   
Misato?"   
  
"I called her last night to see if Touji and Kensuke had   
delivered your paperwork like I asked them."  
  
"Kensuke, I remember from class, but who's Touji?" he asked   
as he reached for his water.  
  
"Um..." Hikari started, then decided it would be best to   
just tell him the whole thing. "He's the other guy who got into   
the Eva with us."   
  
Shinji almost choked on his drink, as it was he barely   
managed to keep from spraying it everywhere. She could see in his   
eyes how confused he was.   
  
"W-why did he go with Kensuke?" he asked slightly   
suspiciously.  
  
"Well for one thing they're friends, and for another he   
feels bad for what happened."  
  
Shinji shook his head. "There was no way you could know that   
the Eva would fall like that, it wasn't any of your faults."  
  
"No... not that, the other thing."  
  
Shinji's eyes widened and he looked at her closely "what do   
you mean?"  
  
"I-I saw what happened between the buildings." Hikari said   
nervously, she knew that guys had a weird sense of pride about   
such things.  
  
Shinji bowed his head and she couldn't see his eyes. She was   
starting to seriously dislike it when he did that-- it was   
disturbing.   
  
"He went with Kensuke because he wanted to apologize," She   
told him, "he wanted to say that he-" she didn't get to finish as   
Shinji cut her off.  
  
"I deserved it," he said simply-- his eyes still hidden.  
  
"What?" Hikari said with surprise, "what kid of talk is that   
Shinji?"  
  
"I'm the reason his sister got hurt, I deserved it."  
  
"Shinji..." she started to say as he looked up. She didn't   
get to finish this either as Shinji stopped looking _at_ her and   
focused on something just over her shoulder. His eyes widening,   
he picked up his bag and stood up.  
  
"Thank you for breakfast" he said quickly as he handed her   
several yen to cover the meal, "I need to leave now." And before   
she could respond he was out the door.   
  
Completely befuddled by his behavior, Hikari turned to look   
in the direction that Shinji had been staring moments before.   
They had been sitting in a corner booth and there was a window on   
either side of her. Across the street behind her there was a man   
on the sidewalk speaking into a cellular phone. He was wearing   
all black and dark sunglasses.   
  
As she turned back to the table, she thought back to   
something Kensuke had said weeks ago when Shinji had first   
arrived about increased security around the school. The men there   
had been dressed exactly the same as the man now across the   
street.   
  
She didn't taste much of the rest of her food.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Shinji stepped off the bus, he decided that this was a   
good idea.  
  
He needed to think. He needed to just sit down and actually   
try to reason everything out. It wasn't something he could do   
while in the city; every building was a constant reminder of the   
battles he had fought. Even the theater had offered no haven. The   
closest thing he had felt to being relaxed in the past two days   
had been earlier at breakfast.   
  
He was still trying to register the fact that had actually   
held something resembling a conversation with a girl, and that   
until he had seen that section two agent... it had gone rather   
well. He was somewhat surprised that he hadn't made too much of a   
fool of himself. For a moment he had actually felt like he could   
talk to someone else.   
  
He thought about what Hikari had told him about Touji. He   
still felt that he deserved what the other boy had done, but to   
know that he felt guilty over it…   
  
It was one of several things that he needed to think about.   
As he climbed the steps to the overlook he smiled at the sight   
revealed before him. He had always heard how beautiful the   
terraces were in this part of the country, his Uncle's farm had   
been mostly flat land, and while they had similar constructs--   
there was nothing to compare to the scale he was seeing before   
him now.  
  
How much work had this taken? How many years? How many   
people? It was one of the most magnificent things he had ever   
seen, even more so than the Eva. More magnificent even that Tokyo   
Three itself. The entire mountainside had been reworked into the   
shelf-like levels.   
  
He sat there on the edge of the cliff, and as the wind blew   
around him felt himself relax for the first time in weeks. He   
knew he couldn't run forever-- he would go back to Misato   
tomorrow. He had all night to make up his mind what he would do   
after that.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"CHARGE!"  
  
Kensuke raced along the path he had cut in the tall grass,   
holding his rifle at ready to fire at the first sign of enemy   
troops. His commanding officer blazed on ahead of the unit,   
fearlessly leading the assault. As they broke into a clearing,   
the enemy opened fire and he watched in horror as the finest   
officer he had ever served under fell before a shower of molten   
lead. As the rest of the troops made short work of the cowards   
who had attacked them, Kensuke dropped to one knee beside his   
captain.   
  
"Sir!" he shouted as he saw the extent of the damage from   
the gunfire.  
  
"Aida," the man whispered weakly, his mouth trickling blood,   
"you must keep going, finish the mission!"  
  
"No!" Kensuke shouted in protest, " I won't leave you like   
this!"  
  
His commanding officer tried to laugh, but ended up coughing   
as blood seeped into his lungs. His fist curling back, he let   
loose with a punch that did not feel like a blow given by a dying   
man.  
  
"You fool! Only... The ...mission matt-" with those last   
words-- the man gave up the ghost.  
  
At that point Kensuke decided to take a break. He had been   
out there all day and he was getting tired. Plus it was almost   
time for dinner. He wished he could get Touji to join him for   
once, doing all this by himself was beginning to get dull, and a   
new perspective would be nice for a change.   
  
Taking one last look at the sunset above, he climbed to his   
feet and started to head back to his base camp. As he stood,   
however, he saw something a short distance away on the hiking   
trail. Readjusting his glasses he took a better look and was   
shocked to see the new transfer student walking back toward the   
road.   
  
'If I don't do _something_ Hikari will kill me...' he   
realized as he waved at the other boy.  
  
"HEY Ikari!" he shouted.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
It had taken some fast talking but Kensuke had finally   
convinced Shinji to join him for dinner. Shinji had no idea why   
Kensuke was out there, much less why the boy was dressed in   
camouflage, but the largest surprise was that he had a tent set   
up a quarter mile back in the field. He didn't ask why-- at the   
moment he was still too tired from his own problems to care. Idly   
he wondered why everyone was so eager to have him join them for   
meals all the sudden. Kensuke on the other hand was talking   
nonstop about everything that he had missed following the battle.   
  
For most of the evening Shinji tuned him out as their dinner   
cooked over a campfire, but after awhile, Kensuke reached a topic   
that Shinji couldn't ignore.  
  
"Touji was real sorry about that," the other boy told him,   
"he told me this morning that his sister chewed his ass off for   
doing it, she said that it was your robot that actually saved   
her, and all our lives. She's in elementary so I imagine he must   
have been even more embarrassed by that than when Hikari chewed   
us out."  
  
Shinji couldn't help but smile at the idea of Touji getting   
yelled at by a younger girl... and as Kensuke continued on he   
though about that. If Touji's sister didn't blame him for what   
happened... why did he still feel so badly about it?  
  
Meanwhile Kensuke was still rambling on.  
  
"I like it out here at night-- those Cicadas don't make as   
much noise. I can't remember it ever being quiet, but lately it   
seems like the things are everywhere, just chirping all over the   
place."  
  
"Misato... Misato says that its because the ecosystems are   
returning to how they were before Second Impact."  
  
"Under normal circumstances I'd have to make you drop that   
subject," Kensuke said with a grin "I think we hear enough about   
it in class, but since you mentioned the Goddess I'll let it   
slide."   
  
Shinji blinked at this, "Goddess?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"I really envy you Ikari. Not only do you get to live with   
Captain Katsuragi, but you get to pilot the Evangelion!" ignoring   
the fact that Shinji's expression darkened slightly at he mention   
of the robot, he continued, "Just _once_ I want a chance to get   
behind the controls of that thing-- I can't imagine what it must   
be like!"  
  
'He's obviously not going to believe the truth...' Shinji   
thought as he watched Kensuke mimic a fighter pilot flying a   
plane. 'And that's just about Misato, if he knew how she   
lived...'  
  
"Its not as great as you think," he told Kensuke, referring   
to the Eva, "it's very dangerous, and besides, I think your   
mother would worry if you did."  
  
"Oh... don't worry, I don't have one." Kensuke said.  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"A mother, I don't have one, I'm the same as you."  
  
"...How did you know that?" Shinji asked with surprise.  
  
"Oh, well when you first got here I realized you might work   
for Nerv and took a peek at your transfer papers. By the way,   
food's ready"  
  
"Thanks," Shinji said as Kensuke filled their plates with   
the rice he'd been steaming over the campfire, "um can I ask you   
something?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
"Do you do this a lot?"  
  
"Yeah, every other month or so."  
  
"Is it training for guerrilla warfare or something?"  
  
"Oh no," Kensuke said with a laugh, "what could I do with   
these toys?" he nodded over at the rack of plastic and wooden   
guns, "This is just for fun. I love the military... hey, why   
don't you like piloting the Eva? Most kids our age would give an   
arm and a leg to do it."  
  
"...Well, it's complicated," Shinji replied, wondering what   
he could tell the boy that wouldn't get them both in trouble,   
"For one thing, you're linked to it, so when it gets hurt you   
feel it."  
  
"Hmmm that makes sense-- I mean there didn't seem to be   
enough controls in there. So there's a neural link..."  
  
"That's what doctor Akagi calls it I think. But the worst   
part is that every time I go out, someone seems to get hurt."  
  
"But Shinji... it's a war, if we don't fight back-- people   
wont just get hurt, they'll die."  
  
"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Shinji said bitterly.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"So then what happened?" Touji asked excitedly, "what else   
did he say?"  
  
It was Monday morning and Kensuke was still feeling   
depressed. As he relayed the events of the weekend to his friend   
he couldn't help but feel sorry for Shinji Ikari, the kid was in   
a situation far, far beyond his control.  
  
"He didn't say anything else that night," Kensuke said, "   
he'd been out all day and was tired so we both turned in."  
  
"Well that sucks," Touji said, "so he wasn't training at   
all then?"  
  
"I'm not going to repeat myself Touji-- this is what you get   
for blowing off my camping invitations all the time," he paused a   
moment then continued his tale, "Anyway as I was _saying_ that's   
when we turned in. The next morning I'm just coming around when I   
hear someone outside the tent. I opened the flap and there--   
right in front of me are three Nerv Security officers in full-on   
MiB uniform. I didn't even have time to flinch before Shinji   
steps past me and stares the first guy down. I couldn't believe   
it, he didn't even seem to be scared at all!"  
  
"So the goon starts talking then, and he says 'you are   
Shinji Ikari, correct?' and Shinji just nods like he doesn't even   
care. Then the guy starts quoting... let me think, um ' In   
accordance with clause eight of the Regulations for Public   
Security, we will now take you to Headquarters. Understand?' and   
Shinji just say 'yes' and goes with them."  
  
"Didn't you even try to help him?" Touji asked, shocked that   
his friend had given up so easily, "you just stood there and let   
them take him away?"  
  
"That's easy for you to say, they were Nerv intelligence--   
trained professionals! I wouldn't have stood a chance."  
  
"Don't you have any balls at all?" Touji demanded.  
  
As he heard a couple of the girls in back whispering to one   
another about that little outburst, Kensuke rolled his eyes.   
Touji would never make it in a military situation-- he had no   
sense of subtlety whatsoever. If he ever came under fire he would   
probably charge in and get himself shot instead of thinking his   
way through it. To that end he decided to enlighten his friend to   
the better part of valor.  
  
"Only an idiot fights when there is no chance of winning.   
Balls have nothing to do with it."  
  
About that time Hikari strolled in from some errand or   
another and asked what was new. As Kensuke told her she smiled...   
up until he reached the end of his tale.  
  
"So he's been taken back in then?" she asked as she sat down   
in one of the chairs nearby.   
  
"It seems so," Kensuke replied, "I hope he's not in too much   
trouble."  
  
"From the way he was acting the other day I think he might   
be." She told them about her meeting with Shinji earlier the same   
morning and how he had run off when he saw the security officer.   
As she finished, the three of them grew silent. It wasn't like   
there was much they could do for him at the moment. None of them   
had any way to get in contact with him outside Captain Katsuragi,   
and she was most likely working.   
  
As the teacher entered class and everyone went through the   
morning ritual of standing and bowing, Hikari realized that there   
might be one way to find out.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
For the first time she could remember-- Hikari hurried   
through her lunch. Once she was done she started roaming the   
school grounds. She didn't know if she was on the right track or   
not... Kensuke was _usually_ reliable on these things, but he   
also had a nasty habit of letting his imagination get away with   
him. Her current idea revolved around a thin hope that he had   
told the truth about something that had happened earlier that   
year. Particularly a funny little story about Rei Ayanami.  
  
Apparently she had dropped her ID once, and before she   
picked it up he had caught a glimpse of the Nerv logo on it. His   
theory that Shinji was working for Nerv had been based off his   
earlier one that Rei did. It wasn't the most believable story she   
had ever heard, but with everything that had happened lately, she   
thought it was at least worth a try.  
  
Also, it gave her the excuse she had been looking for to   
talk with Rei.  
  
She finally found the albino girl sitting on a bench not too   
far from the escalators. She was sitting in the shade and reading   
a book. Hikari smiled a bit, if Rei _was_ working for Nerv then   
she and Shinji had a great deal more in common than she had   
thought. She would have to approach this about the same way she   
had with Shinji-- which meant not giving up when they tried to   
back out of the conversation.  
  
'Well' she thought, 'I can't just stand here all day.' And   
with that she stepped off the escalator platform and began   
walking toward Rei Ayanami.   
  
"Good afternoon, Rei." She said pleasantly.  
  
Rei looked up briefly and Hikari smiled. This smile fell,   
however, as Rei went right back to her book.   
  
This obviously wasn't going to be easy... Hikari walked   
over and asked if the spot beside her was taken. When Rei didn't   
respond to that-- she went ahead and sat down beside her.   
  
Without looking up, Rei turned the page in her book.  
  
'Oookay...' Hikari thought, 'maybe she _isn't_ just shy like   
Ikari.'  
  
She wasn't about to just give up so she tried once more to   
open a conversation.  
  
"Rei, I need to ask you about something." This finally   
seemed to catch the girl's attention and she finally turned to   
look at her. It was still just as disturbing to have those red   
eyes fixed upon her, but Hikari stood her ground. Apparently   
realizing that Hikari wasn't going to go away, Rei spoke up.  
  
"Yes Representative Horaki?"  
  
"You know Shinji Ikari right?"  
  
"Yes" Rei said simply.  
  
"Um... do you know when he will be coming back to school?"   
Hikari asked hopefully.  
  
"I do not have that information," Rei replied.  
  
"Oh..." talking with Rei was obviously going to take some   
thinking, the girl seemed to answer with phrases that   
deliberately gave as little information as possible. "Well could   
I ask a favor?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
'Ok... how in the world do I answer this?' Hikari thought.  
  
After a moment of pondering this she tried again. "Some of   
us were worried about him and I was hoping that you would know   
when he was coming back, or if he wasn't-- where we could go see   
him to say goodbye."  
  
"I see." Rei said, then turned back to her book.   
  
A few moments of uncomfortable silence later, Hikari   
realized that Rei was not going to say anymore and it was   
unlikely that she would reply to any more of her questions or   
comments. With a defeated sigh, Hikari said goodbye and went back   
upstairs to the classroom.   
  
'Well it was worth a try.' She thought as she looked back at   
Rei.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Later that evening as Rei Ayanami was following Dr Akagi and   
Commander Ikari to another testing lab-- she listened to their   
conversation.  
  
"So the Third Child is leaving tomorrow..." Dr Akagi said,   
she seemed to be disappointed in this event, or perhaps it had   
more to do with the fact that Commander Ikari was not only   
allowing it but seemed relieved in it.  
  
"We will reconfigure Unit One's core data for Rei," he said,   
not bothering to look back at the woman he addressed-- the woman   
Rei knew he was having relations with beyond work. " Regardless   
of the results of Unit Zero's reactivation, we'll start with that   
Unit."   
  
There was a long silence and Rei thought back to her   
activation test with Unit Zero. Something had gone wrong and the   
Eva had broken free of control. She had been injured, and so they   
had called for Pilot Ikari. She vaguely remembered seeing him   
during the attack as she fell to the floor. She had been nowhere   
close to proper condition for battle, but she would have gone   
anyway.   
  
She did not understand the commander's reasons for calling   
her out that day, but it had been an order. She had even less   
understanding if Pilot Ikari's change of mind in the matter of   
piloting. Perhaps he did not know it had been an order?  
  
As she thought of this she heard the commander speak again  
  
"According to the Marduk Organization's report, the Fourth   
Child has yet to be found."  
  
Dr Akagi seemed to ponder this for awhile before   
responding. "So we can't get anymore pilots as of yet."  
  
As the escalator reached the top, she thought back to   
Representative Horaki's visit at school earlier that day.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Hikari had just finished brushing her teeth and was about   
to turn in when the phone rang. Jumping slightly as she was   
directly beside it, and panicking a bit at the late hour of the   
call, she grabbed the phone and answered in a soft voice.  
  
"Horaki residence"  
  
The other end was silent.   
  
"Hello?" she asked, wondering if it was a prank call.  
  
"Representative Horaki." A familiar voice said from the   
other end.  
  
"Rei?" she asked with no small measure of surprise  
  
"Pilot Ikari will be leaving Tokyo Three at fourteen-hundred   
hours tomorrow afternoon." With that, the line went dead and   
Hikari was left there looking at the phone, trying to convince   
herself that Rei Ayanami had really been on the other end.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
They hadn't even let him say goodbye to Misato.   
  
He didn't know if she even wanted to see him right now, but   
he would have at least liked to say goodbye to her. She had been   
kind to him during his stay. That might have been part of why he   
was so nervous around her, he was... unused to kindness. His   
Uncle had mostly just tolerated his presence and ignored him when   
he was around. Other than the music lessons the man had paid for-  
- Shinji couldn't remember ever having much to do with him if the   
older man had been able to avoid it.   
  
Misato on the other hand had not only seemed to enjoy   
having him around, but had gone out of her way to try and make   
him feel at home.   
  
Not that _he_ had tried very hard. It had just been that   
Shinji couldn't really believe that she was actually happy he was   
there. At first he tried to convince himself that she just wanted   
someone to do the chores, but even if he _did_ do most of them,   
it was just too farfetched.   
  
She had been so disappointed with him. He didn't know how   
he could have explained it all to her when he still didn't have   
it figured out.   
  
"If you hate all this so much; just leave!" she had said   
"Just forget about Eva and us and go back to where you came   
from!"  
  
He had been selfish. He was only worried about himself, he   
knew that on one level, but he still couldn't stay. He didn't   
have anything to stay for. Everyone at school would be disgusted   
with him for running, but he really didn't know anyone there so   
it didn't matter. No one at Nerv would mind. Ayanami was almost   
healed, and she could pilot the Eva. They really didn't need him   
anymore.  
  
'Just who are you trying to convince?' he asked himself as   
he climbed out of the car and into the light. As his eyes   
adjusted, he saw something off to his right and turned just in   
time to catch the bag he had left in Kensuke's tent as it was   
tossed to him.  
  
It took three blinks of his eyes to convince himself that he   
wasn't seeing things, and even then he didn't believe it until   
Touji spoke up.  
  
"Hey Ikari! Ya left these behind."  
  
He, Kensuke and Hikari were standing there on the steps.   
What were they doing there? He turned back to the guard, who   
nodded and took a couple steps back  
  
Before he could even slow his thoughts down enough to ask   
anything, Kensuke tuned to Touji and pushed him forward.   
  
"Well, do it!" Hikari said sternly from behind the taller   
boy.  
  
Touji looked back at the two with much annoyance before   
tuning to Shinji. He had a grim look of determination in his   
eyes. Shinji couldn't even begin to think of what he wanted to   
say. Finally his unspoken questions were answered.  
  
"Look Ikari... I'm sorry I hit you. You have to hit me   
back."  
  
Shinji's eyes widened, and he looked to the other two, who   
seemed just as surprised as he was at Touji's words.   
  
"B-but I can't do that!" he said in a panic, as he   
unconsciously took a step back.  
  
Touji's eyes never wavered. He stood tall and spoke up again   
"you have to, otherwise I wont be able to let this go."  
  
"But..." Shinji said, completely befuddled at the taller   
boys request.  
  
Meanwhile Kensuke had decided the entire situation was   
highly amusing. Stepping forward and leaning around Touji   
slightly, he spoke up with a grin on his face.  
  
"He can be really embarrassing huh? But if it puts an end to   
this whole thing, you ought to go ahead and do it."  
  
Behind him the Nerv Security officers were checking their   
watches. As the seconds ticked by Touji frowned. Hikari was   
muttering to herself that she didn't know either of the boys with   
her.  
  
"Hurry up, you don't have much more time!"  
  
"...Okay, but only once," Shinji said, resigning himself to   
getting it over with.   
  
"Good, lets do this." Touji said as he planted his feet and   
braced himself.  
  
Shinji set his bag down and drew back. As his hand started   
arcing forward however Touji shouted for him to stop. Confused,   
Shinji froze in mid swing and looked to the taller boy for an   
explanation.   
  
"Don't hold back," Touji said with a determined growl.  
  
Shinji nodded, and for the first time in his life, pulled   
back and threw a real punch. He felt the impact all the way up in   
his shoulder as Touji stumbled back. His hand stung a little, but   
he couldn't honestly say the experience had been a bad one. In   
fact, as Touji regained his balance and touched his cheek-- there   
was a slight grin on his face.  
  
Behind him, Hikari and Kensuke were shaking their heads in   
wonder that Touji had actually done that.  
  
"How did you know I'd be here?" Shinji asked suddenly.  
  
"Once I found out you were leaving," Hikari said, "it wasn't   
too hard to figure out where."  
  
"Yeah, " Kensuke added, " we've seen a lot of classmates   
leave lately."  
  
"Since you're leaving..." Touji said, still rubbing his   
cheek," We'll probably be going too before long. I can't really   
blame you, we all saw how you suffered in the Eva," his   
expression sobered suddenly, but it was mostly mock seriousness,   
"but if anyone _does_ try and blame you, I'll give 'em a boot to   
the head"  
  
Shinji didn't know what to say. They were really sorry that   
he was leaving. He stood there for a moment slightly shaking his   
head and trying to come to terms with that fact. As he stood   
there, Hikari stepped up to him. To the three boys' surprise--   
and possibly the MiBs, although it was impossible to tell-- she   
gave Shinji a hug.   
  
"Thank you for saving our lives" she whispered in his   
ear. Shinji found that at that moment couldn't move, or even   
speak. Coherent thought was also an activity that he found   
difficult, but he did manage a nod as she stepped away.   
  
Before he could try and say anything, the Security officer   
placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"It's time to go." He said as he led Shinji away from the   
three.  
  
As he and the two guards made their way into the train   
station, Shinji saw the three following them to the base of the   
stairs. Panic swept over him. Had he failed them? Was he doing   
the right thing? Was he really absolved from the guilt? No, he   
had to take responsibility!  
  
As he rounded the corner at the top he pulled back from the   
two guards and managed to lean around the corner as they pulled   
back.  
  
"I'm the one who deserved to be hit, not you!" He shouted as   
the two guards tried to restrain him, "I'm mean, cowardly,   
dishonest... and a wimp!"   
  
Before he could say any more, his guards managed to get a   
decent hold on him and haul him back up the stairs. Down below,   
Hikari, Touji and Kensuke watched this, completely stunned. They   
didn't know what to say to that.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Not very long afterwards as the three sat and waited for   
Shinji's train to arrive Kensuke spoke up.  
  
"That was your big plan?"  
  
"Huh?" Touji muttered, having been startled from some deep   
thought or another.  
  
" 'You gotta hit me back'... this was your brilliant plan to   
apologize?"  
  
Touji frowned and looked indignant. "Well yeah, what was   
wrong with it?"  
  
"If I have to tell you, then you will have learned nothing--   
you'll have simply been told" Kensuke said sagely.  
  
"Well at least I didn't 'glomp' the kid like the class rep   
here did!" Touji said under his breath. Unfortunately he did not   
say this low enough and he was immediately hit on the head by a   
thrown shoe courtesy of Hikari Horaki.   
  
Kensuke chuckled at that and shook his head, "If you had-- I   
would have been mad that I didn't bring my camera. That footage   
would have made me a mint."  
  
"Stop it you two." Hikari said softly, without much   
conviction. She was looking up at the station sadly. The train   
had just arrived.  
  
"Hey Hikari, you look more gloomy than Shinji did. What's   
wrong?"  
  
Just when he though Hikari wasn't going to answer she spoke   
up. "We never really had a chance to be his friends, I wonder if   
he had anyone back where he 's going that could be one."  
  
"I don't know," Kensuke said regretfully. Before he could   
say anymore however, a blue car rocketed around a corner just as   
the train pulled out of the station. As they looked on, it   
screeched to a halt and Captain Katsuragi climbed out, looking at   
the departing train with sadness.  
  
"Hey! It's the babe!" Touji said excitedly, and would have   
received another shoe to the head had Hikari not seen something   
inside the station as she stood up.   
  
Touji and Kensuke's eyes were riveted on the Captain, and   
until she looked up at the station itself and her jaw dropped   
open, they didn't even see what Hikari had been looking at. As   
their eyes followed the path of the two girls amazed stares--   
they saw Shinji standing at the terminal looking back at the   
Captain.   
  
After a long silence, as Shinji began to make his way back   
to the front of the building. Touji and Kensuke heard her whisper   
something--seemingly in response to his decision to remain.  
  
"He didn't run."   
  
  
[]==================[]  
To be continued...   
[]==================[]  
  
  
  
Authors incoherent babbling  
  
Whew! Well there's part two, and thankfully from here out we   
wont be running so much off the scripts and episodes. Oh as I   
said before some events such as the Angel attacks wont be changed   
much, but the stuff that happens in Shinji, Hikari, and Misato's   
lives will be altered by this. Expect a lot of Hikari's family, a   
lot more of Touji and Kensuke, more classroom chatroom antics   
(I'm too much of a chat addict to pass this up) and in general   
just more of life in Tokyo Three.   
  
As far as Touji and Hikari, well I want to get something   
straight. While I do believe Hikari was fond of Touji, I don't   
believe her interest was romantic until sometime after the   
halfway point of the series. This is mostly just guesswork mind   
you and my way of working it into the story. Apparently the class   
has known Rei since at least 1st grade (according to the literal   
translation series scripts) it is not too much of a stretch to   
say that Kensuke and Touji have know Hikari that long.   
  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  



	4. Book One Part Three

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
We don't need no education  
We don't need no thought control  
No dark sarcasm in the classroom  
Teacher, leave those kids alone  
'The Wall part 2'  
Pink Floyd 'The Wall'  
  
  
[]===============[]  
Book 1 Part 3  
[]===============[]  
  
  
Under ordinary circumstances, breakfast at the Horaki residence  
was a cheerful event.  
  
On this particular morning however, Nozomi could sense a tension  
between her sisters Hikari and Kodama. It had started awhile back when  
Hikari got in trouble. She hadn't told them exactly what had happened,  
but they did know the basics. They also knew that the incident had put  
Hikari at risk of being expelled from her school. It was a big mess and  
they didn't know quite what was going to happen.  
  
As she watched her sisters eat in silence, she wished her father   
were around more often. He had been working so hard as of late, ever   
since Project E had received the extra funding he had even been sleeping   
at the labs. On a good week he was home just long enough to sleep and  
shower. On a bad one he only came home once or twice.  
  
Fortunately she and her sisters could take care of themselves--their  
parents had been keeping long and odd hours for years now. Unfortunately  
being self-sufficient didn't make her miss her dad any less. Especially with  
her sisters acting like they were.  
  
"I better get going," Hikari said at last as she took her plate to   
the sink.  
  
"Why bother?" Kodama asked with a tone that Nozomi didn't like at all.  
  
"What is that supposed to mean Kodama?" Hikari asked with hurt  
registering in her voice.  
  
Nozomi frowned at this. It was obvious to her that whatever had been  
brewing earlier was about to hit, and while she wasn't so keen on being at  
ground zero-- she did want to find out what was bothering the two so much.  
  
"Just what it sounds like," Kodama said with ice edging into her voice,  
"why bother, its not like you're going to be there much longer."  
  
"I can not _believe_ you just said that!" Hikari shouted, obviously hurt   
by what their sister's words.  
  
"Am I not allowed to be humiliated by what happened?" Kodama asked  
vehemently, "I spent two years as class rep at that junior high, and look what  
you've done to the title."  
  
"Just leave me _alone_!" Hikari said, turning away from her sister so the  
older girl wouldn't see the tears that were forming.  
  
"Why? So you can pretend nothing happened for the next few days?  
Or maybe you just want to--"  
  
"Kodama!" Nozomi said, finally speaking up, "stop."  
  
Kodama looked over at her in shock, she had forgotten that her younger  
sister was even there-- as usual. Nozomi wondered just how long they would  
keep doing that. As many times as Nozomi had gotten dirt on the two this way--  
she would have thought that by now they would know better.  
  
"You two better stop it before I decide to tell dad," he said as she   
got up and grabbed her bag off the back of the table, " lets go Hikari."  
  
Hikari blinked back the tears that were forming and nodded-- thankful for  
the escape that was being offered. They left the house without another word,  
and made their way to the elementary school.  
  
"She didn't mean it," Nozomi told her sister.  
  
"Yes she did..." Hikari said softly as she walked beside her, " and I  
deserve it."  
  
"Don't give me that," Nozomi said, " you were tying to save Touji and  
Kensuke's lives weren't you?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Then you didn't do anything bad. The school might not see it that way,  
but if I catch you glooming around about this again I'm going to be forced  
to take extreme measures"  
  
Hikari smiled at that, she apparently still remembered the last time  
Nozomi had taken 'extreme measures' with Kodama.  
  
"I'm sorry sis," She told the younger girl as she gave her a hug, "it's  
just that this thing happened at the worst time."  
  
"You mean there's a _good_ time for it to happen?"  
  
"I suppose not, but its timing is still horrible... there's this new kid  
in class and he really could use a friend or two. If I leave then I would  
have to leave the job to Touji and Kensuke. I trust them, but... well  
you know how they can get."  
  
"Yeah, I remember... so what's so special about this new guy?"  
  
"Well... He's the pilot of the Eva."  
  
"Really? So why would he have any problems making friends?  
  
"It's a long story... I'll tell you another time" Hikari said with a   
smile, she seemed to be feeling much better now. Nozomi grinned at that.   
Her job here was done  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Morning Shinji!" Hikari called as she rounded a corner and seeing him  
at the stoplight. She hadn't realized that they took such a similar route to  
school. at least _something_ good would come out this day.  
  
"Good morning Hikari" Shinji replied as she stepped up next to where  
he stood. As they waited for the light to change Hikari made a show of  
looking around and scratching her head as if befuddled by something.  
Obviously confused at her behavior, Shinji finally broke down and asked  
what she was doing.  
  
"I was just looking for the idiot duo... they're usually walking with you  
when you get to class."  
  
"Oh they showed as usual, but since Nerv started the analysis of the  
Angel today, Kensuke wanted to get a look at it before class."  
  
"Why didn't you go?"  
  
"I'm going with Misato after school-- besides, I've already seen enough  
of it to last me awhile."  
  
"Shinji I know you don't like to pilot much, but you should take more  
interest. Anything you can learn about those things might help you."  
  
"I guess," Shinji said as they walked across the street, "but it's just   
hard for me to get excited about it, I'm still trying to find my center in   
all of this."  
  
"Well how are you and Misato doing? Are things better now?"  
  
"Yeah... I think she's proud that I stayed, but she still wont stop teasing  
me."  
  
"That's just her way. My sisters are the same way-- especially Kodama.  
She's one of those people who can't let an opening slide by."  
  
"She's the one who was class rep a year or two ago right?"  
  
"Yeah, the 'nitrogen queen' of Tokyo Three junior high," Hikari said with  
a roll of her eyes.  
  
"Was she that bad?"  
  
"Well she had this whole control trip thing going on back then so I can't  
rule out the possibility, but she isn't a mean person... well most of the time.  
It's a tough call; she might have just been really strict. Maybe if I'd been  
more like that I wouldn't be in trouble."  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"It's not your fault. You didn't make me go out there with those two  
blockheads."  
  
"Yeah, but I still wish there was something I could do to help. I mean, if  
I at least hadn't answered that private message you wouldn't be in as much  
trouble."  
  
"That group was well beyond human control Shinji. I doubt even Kodama  
herself could have reigned them at that point."  
  
"I still feel guilty about it."  
  
"Shinji, you have got to learn to let some things go-- taking every little  
thing and blaming yourself for it won't make it better. You can only deal  
with so much guilt before it gets out of hand."  
  
"I guess..."  
  
"Shinji, I'm going to get you to relax one of these days and I just hope  
Kensuke has his camera there to record the incident."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
An hour before lunch, the teacher's lesson plan went down on the  
desk and 94% of the class tuned out of reality.  
  
As the teacher droned on and on, Kensuke began taking an interest  
in the latest rumors flying around the classroom's chatsite. Thankfully  
Hikari was distracted with something, because the prime topic of discussion  
was her.  
  
[Yume] well, I heard that they're going to expel her  
  
[Touji] that's ridiculous!! they're not going to do that!  
  
[Ichigo] yeah, there not kicking jock-boy or G. I. Joker out, why her?  
  
[Touji] hey! watch it!  
  
[Yume] well its what I heard, and they would too because she has more  
responsibility so the punishment is harsher  
  
[Reisho] well I think we should do something, it's not fair  
  
[Denki] I agree, hey Kensuke, when is this hearing?  
  
[Kensuke] in a couple of days, I'll let you know  
  
[Kiri] yeah, Denki's right we should do something, if for no other  
reason because she isn't as mean as her sister was  
  
[Ichigo] well not all of us were there for it, but I guess you'd know.  
  
[Kiri] hey it wasn't my fault!  
  
[Denki] oh yes, explain to us again how your getting left back for  
two years 'wasn't your fault' I love this story.  
  
[Kiri] oh shut up  
  
[Yume] hey did you hear the latest about Ayanami?  
  
As the ever-changing discussion rambled along, Kensuke made good on  
his promise and started looking around for the school schedule. The School  
board was meeting in two days and that's when they would decide Hikari's  
fate. It was likely that she would loose her job, and that was if they were  
lenient.  
  
He felt awful about it mostly because it had been his idea to go out   
there in the first place. Had they stayed in the shelter none of it would   
have happened. He intended to make it up to her somehow, and to that end  
he was dipping into some of the school's more secured files.  
  
If he got lucky he would find what he was looking for. Meanwhile he  
had a few questions for Shinji. He sent out a private message and made  
certain that his new lockout program was in effect so that Hikari would  
be unable to eavesdrop.  
  
[Kensuke] hey Shinji got a minute?  
  
[Shinji] according to the clock I have about twenty-seven of them.  
  
[Kensuke] provided you don't fall asleep that is, but anyway; do you  
think I could go with you to see the Angel?  
  
[Shinji] I doubt it, Misato says I need to be more careful about even  
talking about them with you guys.  
  
[Kensuke] well crap. We couldn't even get a good look this morning.  
They have a huge tent covering the whole thing.  
  
[Shinji] wish I could help, but I'm still on probation with Misato for  
running off  
  
[Kensuke] Probation?  
  
[Shinji] yeah, I have to check in with her every hour or so that I'm not  
in school. Plus they docked my pay and I have to do this whole  
crazy password thing even if I just want to use my cashcard.  
  
[Kensuke] well, I don't want you to get in any more trouble... speaking  
of trouble, are you going with us to Hikari's hearing?  
  
[Shinji] I'm going to try to, I'll talk with Misato and find out if I have  
any tests for that day.  
  
  
With that Kensuke and Shinji closed out their discussion and tried their  
hardest to survive the monotonous droning of the teacher.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Mind if I join you?"  
  
Shinji opened is eyes and saw Hikari standing beside him. He rarely  
spent much time on his lunch. Neither Misato's cooking nor the school  
box lunches held much appeal-- so for the last few days he had just  
found a place to spent his lunch hour relaxing in the shade.  
  
Not having a sane reason to refuse, he nodded as Hikari joined in  
the shade. After unpacking her bento, she began looking around in  
admiration of the scenery.  
  
"This is a nice spot Shinji. It's a wonder no one else uses it."  
  
"Well it's kind of out in the open, and most of the others tend to  
find more private places to eat."  
  
"That doesn't sound like you at all," she said with a giggle.  
  
"What do you mean?" Shinji asked as a blush rose to his face.  
  
"Sitting somewhere high profile like this... I 'd picture you off   
in a quiet corner or something."  
  
Shinji blushed even deeper and didn't say anything for a moment.  
  
Finally he said, "Well the truth is... I... oh never mind, its dumb."  
  
"You can tell me," Hikari said as she poured some sauce on her  
food, " I swear I won't repeat it."  
  
"Well... it's just that, I was hoping someone would see me and come   
over"  
  
Hikari paused in mid bite. "If you wanted company, why didn't you   
just go up and ask if you could sit with one of the other groups"  
  
This was obviously embarrassing Shinji, so she decided to drop the   
subject. "Hey," she told him, "if you don't want to talk about it you   
don't have to."  
  
"No, its okay," he said after another pause, "I think I was afraid they  
wouldn't let me join them. I... just didn't want to... be rejected I guess."  
  
Hikari started to tell Shinji that he was being silly and that nothing   
like that would happen, but then she remembered something that she had seen   
the year before. A new student had done just that: gone up to one of the   
lunch groups and had asked to join them. The group hadn't been very polite   
about it; in fact they had been downright mean. She had seen all this happen   
and while she hadn't done anything at the time, she had been angry with the   
kids and had made a point not to speak with them if she could help it for   
the rest of that year. The incident wasn't uncommon, some kids were just   
plain mean and they inevitably targeted students they felt were easy   
marks. It was just one of the things that you had to accept about school   
life.  
  
Fortunately there was little of that in her class, but Shinji didn't   
know that, and she honestly couldn't blame him for being nervous.  
  
"Why didn't you sit with Touji and Kensuke?" she asked, " I'm sure   
they would have been happy for you to join them for lunch."  
  
"I would if I knew where they were-- that's another reason I was out   
here. I looked around the other day, but I don't know where they eat."  
  
"Oh?" Hikari said with surprise, "they eat on the roof. Didn't you   
even ask them?"  
  
"Haven't had the chance, and when I did I just didn't think about   
it," Shinji told her with an embarrassed smile, "I'll pay them a visit   
tomorrow... hey, how come you're out here? Don't you usually eat in   
the classroom?"  
  
"I do, but with the hearing coming up this week I decided that I   
might as well enjoy the company of my fellow students for a change,   
who knows if I'll have a chance afterwards."  
  
"Is it that serious? I know some of the rumors say it is but..."  
  
"I don't know" she said with a sigh " going out there like that   
was a huge display of bad judgement, plus the thing with the class   
earlier, which wouldn't have even come out if we hadn't gotten caught   
up with the fight. It's all up to them and my record. I just need to   
keep my fingers crossed."  
  
"I wish there was something I could do."  
  
"Stop blaming yourself... what happens, happens"  
  
There was a short silence as Hikari picked through her bento;   
suddenly she didn't feel as hungry.  
  
"Hey that looks pretty good," Shinji said breaking the silence,   
"who made it?  
  
It took her a moment to pull herself from her musings and realize   
he was referring to her meal.  
  
"Oh, I cooked it last night," she told him proudly, "I make most   
of the meals at home since neither of my sisters can cook."  
  
"It looks very good. Misato never makes anything other than instant   
stuff, and she messes that up half the time, see?" he held up a box   
filled with rice. It looked ok, but one whiff told her that someone   
had put curry spice in it. A lot of spice. Enough that the aroma alone   
was making her crave a glass of water.  
  
"Please tell me this is a joke..." not believing anyone would make   
that mistake.  
  
"I'm afraid not. Sooner or later I'm going to have to break out my   
cookbook. I'm getting tired of living off instant rice."  
  
"You call instant food living?"  
  
"Not really, but Misato does, I don't think she ever buys anything   
else... well there is the beer, but that doesn't count as food. I think."  
  
"Instant food and _beer_?" Hikari repeated with no small measure of   
surprise, "tell me that you don't..."  
  
"No, no, no, I don't drink it!" Shinji said rapidly, " the stuff   
smells bad enough! How anyone could drink it-- let alone as much as she   
does-- is a mystery to me."  
  
"Whew, you had me worried there for a second Ikari" she said with   
a laugh, "hey! You just said you have a cookbook! Do you cook too?"  
  
"Well I haven't done much since I arrived, Misato insisted for   
awhile that she was the provider and it was her duty... but I do cook   
a little."  
  
"We'll have to exchange recipes some time," she said with a smile.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Shinji was still thinking of that smile as he followed Ritsuko   
and Misato into the computer station later that day. Even the sight   
of the dead Angel wasn't able to fully attract his attention. It was   
an impressive sight nonetheless, even with all the scientist crawling   
all over it and the scaffolding rigged across it. But for reasons that   
he was only aware of on a subconscious level, every time he tried to   
concontrate on what was happening around him-- he kept flashing back   
the Hikari's smile.  
  
It was a little strange to be so close to the creature now. In   
the back of his mind he half expected it to wake up. Fortunately   
Doctor Akagi assured him that once the core had been shattered.   
All life signs had ceased. It was quite dead.  
  
It still didn't make him feel any safer, and as he looked up   
at the construction crews taking it apart piece by piece he still   
saw its energy whips lashing around in his minds eye. But even as   
he thought back to the battle his mind drifted to that smile.  
  
'Why cant I get it out of my mind?' he thought to himself as   
he leaned against a rail, 'is this normal?'  
  
As he let out a sigh, someone walked past him. A quick glance   
was enough to almost send him falling off balance.  
  
It was his father.  
  
He, sub-commander Fuyutski and the other two men didn't even   
seem to see him as they made their way to a platform where a piece   
of the Angel's core was being lowered. As the small entourage began   
examining the shattered core sample, Shinji saw that his father had   
removed his gloves. The absence of the gloves, however, wasn't what   
caught his attention. It was the painful-looking burns that covered   
the palms.  
  
"Hey Shinji whatcha doin'?"  
  
Letting out a short yelp of surprise-- Shinji jumped, and turned   
to find Misato standing right beside him with one of her trademark   
it's-time-to-tease-someone grins in place. Letting out a small groan   
in annoyence of the teasing-to-come, Shinji hung his head and made   
his way back to the computer room.  
  
"So what were you looking at so intently back there, Shinji?"   
Misato repeated.  
  
"Nothing," Shinji said quickly, hoping she would drop the subject,   
and at the same time knowing that she wouldn't.  
  
"Now, Shinji," Misato said a bit sternly as they reached Ritsuko's   
Magi uplink station, "are you aware that when you say 'nothing' in that   
tone of voice you're practically screaming 'pay attention to me' at the   
top of your lungs? 'Nothing' draws attention like evasive action."  
  
Realizing that if he didn't answer the question Misato would most   
likely drag Ritsuko into the teasing he sighed again and told her the   
truth.  
  
"Father... seems to have burned his hands."  
  
Misato frowned and turned to Ritsuko "I hadn't heard about this   
one, hey Ritsu, you know how he toasted his hands?"  
  
"It happened the day before you arrived Misato, during Unit zero's   
activation test... Have the two of you heard of the incident?"  
  
Misato nodded, but Shinji still looked as confused as before. She   
shook her head as she realized that he had only recently received   
clearance for that level of information.  
  
"Sorry, silly of me. Unit Zero went berserk during the activation   
and the pilot was trapped inside."  
  
"You mean like Unit One did?" Shinji asked  
  
"Not exactly, but it was similar. I wouldn't think of it the same   
if I were you however, the incidents have several factors that set them   
apart. But to continue, the entry plug was force-ejected, striking the   
wall and ceiling before falling to the floor of the wire cage where we   
did your VR training. Commander Ikari ran down to the plug and forced   
the superheated hatch open with his bare hands, and that's how he burned   
them."  
  
Shinji listened to this and Ritsuko could practically feel his mood   
darken. It didn't take a mind reader to tell that the boy was upset about   
his father's concern for Rei when he had shown none during Shinji's own   
first fight over Tokyo Three. The man had not even been present during   
Shinji's second battle and it was undoubtedly bothering the boy. She   
herself was all too aware of the man's attitude toward his son, a   
particular conversation sprung to mind where the Commander had actually   
told her that brainwashing Shinji was one of the parameters that she   
needed to consider while writing the core data. Should the boy ultimately   
refuse to pilot, and if no other candidates were available; that would be   
what they would have to do. After all, the fate of mankind rested on his   
shoulders.  
  
It didn't make her feel any better about assisting, however.  
  
"And that's how he got those scars?" Shinji asked, broadcasting his   
mood quite clearly.  
  
"Yes," Ritsuko answered as she turned back to the computers, "That's   
how his hands were burned."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
The next day during Gym it was the girl's turn in the pool. Below on   
the track field the boys rested from their latest set of laps and made a   
show of ogling the girls above and pretending not to.  
  
Up on the pools level, Hikari was enjoying the cool water. It had   
been so humid since the rain, and she welcomed chance to cool off. It   
also gave her a chance to forget her hearing. She didn't want to think   
about it much, it was embarrassing enough as it was without the fact   
that her sister was going to be there-- Kodama was being unusually mean   
about the whole affair.  
  
A few moments passed where she finally relaxed, but then someone   
splashed a bit too close and Hikari's floating was interrupted. Letting   
out a frustrated sigh, she swam over and climbed out of the pool. Looking   
around she saw Rei sitting in the shade by the fence. She considered it   
for a moment, then decided to go and try to talk with her again. She had   
given up once, but then Rei had called that night... perhaps it wasn't   
an impossible task after all.  
  
"Hi Rei" she said as she sat down beside the albino, "whatcha doing?"  
  
Rei looked at her, and she realized how obvious the answer to that   
particular question was. If she wanted a reaction from the girl other   
than an annoyed stare she would have to phrase her questions much more   
carefully. After the telephone call, she had realized talking to Rei   
was not unlike walking though a minefield.  
  
"Okay," she said with a smile, "silly question. Of course your   
sitting here. Let me rephrase that: what are you thinking about?"  
  
"I'm afraid it is classified information, Representative Horaki."   
Rei answered in her usual soft voice.  
  
"I see... Well I guess I shouldn't press about stuff like that, I   
wouldn't want us to get in trouble. Hmmm... how come you don't swim with   
everyone else? I hardly ever see you in the pool. If you don't know how   
I could give lessons."  
  
Rei tilted her head slightly for a moment, as if confused, and then   
to Hikari's surprise (along with everyone in earshot) she spoke the longest   
set of words anyone had ever heard the girl say.  
  
"I enjoy swimming very much, Representative Horaki. I do not swim during  
class because my skin is very sensitive to sunlight. If I receive too much   
exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the resulting damage to my skin will   
severely impede my duties. Your offer is unnecessary."  
  
Hikari prevented her mouth from hanging open, but her eyes still went   
wide as she listened. Shaking off her surprise, she managed to somehow   
continue talking.  
  
"So where do you swim? I don't know of any after hours pools around."  
  
"There is a natatorium not far from Nerv's medical facilities."  
  
"Really? I've never had the chance to swim in one. Is it any different?"  
  
As Rei answered, Hikari noticed that she seemed a bit uneasy. "Sounds   
carry differently and the chlorine content is very high as compared to an   
outside pool."  
  
Hikari smiled and let the subject drop. She could tell that Rei was   
unused to conversations like this. As she did, she noticed something down   
below. Shinji was looking up at them, and smiling. She waved back and as   
she did she saw Touji and Kensuke sit down beside him. As the three stared   
up a conversation she leaned back against the fence and closed her eyes.   
They were getting along nicely; things seemed to be going so well. It was   
going to be a shame if they expelled her; she was staring to enjoy Shinji's   
company and would miss it when or if she left.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
That night as he finished cleaning the apartment for their guest Shinji   
wondered what connection Rei had to his father. Earlier that afternoon in the   
Sixth Cage they had been preparing Unit Zero for the activation test that was   
coming up when he had seen the two talking.  
  
Talking... and actually holding a conversation.  
  
Rei had seemed almost giddy when his Father had shown up, and he wished  
he'd had an audio pickup handy. They hadn't spoken for long, but it had been  
long enough for the jealously to creep into Shinji's mind. He just couldn't   
shake it off, even hours later. They had looked... like a father and daughter.  
  
He wanted to hate them for that. He wanted to hate them both for being so  
close when he barely knew the commander... but he couldn't do it.  
  
Letting out what might have been his twentieth sigh of the day, he took the  
trash down and went back inside to get dressed. Misato had invited Dr. Akagi  
over for dinner and it was going to be bad enough since Misato had insisted on  
cooking again.  
  
'How in the world can she consider that junk food edible?' he thought as he  
changed clothes, 'and what's wrong with her sense of taste anyhow? Is it the  
beer that makes her think that curry spice goes with everything humans can consume?'  
  
Deciding that it was unlikely that he would ever understand the woman who was  
his legal guardian, he finished dressing and went to the living room to watch some  
television before company arrived.  
  
As he leaned back on one of the cushions he heard a phone ring. It took him a  
moment to realize that it wasn't the one in the kitchen. A bit confused, he   
followed the sound to his room, where he discovered that it was his cell phone.  
  
Picking it up and answering the call he wondered if it was an emergency.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Hikari's voice greeted him form the other end with a cheerful, "Hi Shinji!"  
  
"Um... hello," Shinji replied, a little taken aback that someone had actually  
called him.  
  
"Whatcha doing?"  
  
"Well," he said as his mind began working again, "one of Misato's co-workers   
is coming over tonight for dinner. I just got through with the cleaning, so I was   
just taking a quick break."  
  
"I see... Well the reason I called is... you know that my hearing is the day   
after tomorrow right?"  
  
"I didn't realize it was so close."  
  
"Yeah it came too fast for me too, but anyway I was going over my paperwork  
and I saw that you're going to be absent tomorrow for duty... I just wanted to say  
goodbye in case I didn't get a chance to see you again."  
  
"_What_?"  
  
"They might expel me for the incident Shinji. it's not a possibility I like   
to think about, but one that's there. Anyway I wanted to say goodbye and to thank   
you for protecting all of us. And if it's not too much trouble, keep an eye on   
Kensuke and Touji? Those two could get in trouble in a padded cell."  
  
"Hikari..." Shinji started to say something but just didn't have the words.  
  
"I should go-- you're going to have company soon... You're a good person  
Shinji, I'm glad I had the chance to know you."  
  
As they said goodbye and Shinji set the phone down, a funny--and not entirely  
unpleasant-- feeling crept across his skin, not unlike an electric current. He walked  
out to the patio and leaned over the rail. There had to be something he could do  
about this, but what?  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Um... What is this exactly?" Ritsuko asked as she eyed her food suspiciously.  
  
"Its curry silly," Misato told her with a smile, She'd already grabbed her   
fifth beer of the evening, and the food was only just now ready to eat-- assuming   
it was even editable this time.  
  
"Please don't tell me you still try and live off this instant crap Misato!"  
  
"Humph," Misato said as she popped the top on her beverage, "I shouldn't have  
to remind you my dear friend that you are a guest and have no right to complain."  
  
Sensing the conversation might degenerate even further if left to its own devices,  
Shinji quickly offered Misato some of the alleged curry. Smiling in her half-drunken  
state, she held up an instant ramen cup.  
  
"Just slop some of that stuff on this stuff!" she told him.  
  
"Um... you're kidding, right? He asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course not silly, it's a nummy treat! You can't get the same savory taste with  
just plain cup 'o noodle, you gotta even out the water and make sure you get it nice  
and thick! It takes years of practice to do it right, mind you."  
  
'Please let us survive this so called meal' Shinji prayed privately as he poured  
some of the curry into the cup. Meanwhile Ritsuko had taken a bite of the food  
and had seemingly frozen in place. She slowly and apparently painfully swallowed  
and then downed her entire glass of tea.  
  
"Misato cooked didn't she?" she said as she held back a coughing fit, "Next time  
invite me over when its Shinji's turn okay?" letting out a sigh, she refilled her cup and  
cpntinued, "Shinji, you might want to consider a new roommate before this madwoman's  
habits ruin your life."  
  
"Actually," Shinji said as he pushed around his 'food' to keep Misato from realizing  
it was going uneaten, "I'm starting to get used to it."  
  
"Hesh right Ritsu, never doubt the adaptapility of mankind... um Shinji sweetie?  
Could you grab me another beer? Thanks. Beshides, if he did move out he'd have to  
go through a sea of red tape. I just got his perminininate security card today you know."  
  
"Oh! I can't believe I forgot _again_!" Ritsuko exclaimed as she hit her forehead  
lightly with her palm, " hey Shinji could you do me a favor on your way to work  
tomorrow?"  
  
"Hmm?" Shinji replied as he returned with Misato's sixth beer, "what is it"  
  
"Ayanami just got her card renewed and I keep forgetting to give it to her. Could  
you drop it off at her place before you go in tomorrow? I'll give you the address."  
  
"Sure, no problem," he told her as he took the card. Holding it up, he glanced at the  
photo of the first child and the glance turned into a look. The look would most likely  
have turned into a stare, but Misato caught on and let out a drunken giggle.  
  
"You're looking at her picture arn'tcha Shinji?" she said with a playful grin.  
  
"Huh? What? No!" Shinji said as he realized that she was insinuating the same thing  
his new friends had on the track field.  
  
'And she's about as stubborn as they are' he thought as he tried to think of something  
to say. Ritsuko seemed to find the whole thing highly amusing, but at least she wasn't   
laughing.  
  
"I wasn't!" he said in what he meant to be a firm tone of voice. Unfortunately it came  
out as defensive and nervous.  
  
"Yesh you were, I can tell!" Misato said, "now ya got an excuse to go over to her  
housh... and a good one too, don't you think?"  
  
"Rrrrgh" Shinji grunted as he sat down, " stop teasing me!"  
  
"Awww, but its so much fun, you go so balishtik"  
  
"Kind of like you huh Misato?" Ritsu said finally speaking up. For some reason that  
Shinji didn't quite understand, the Captain looked at them for a moment, then blushed  
bright red. He made a quick mental note to ask Dr. Akagi to explain that some day.  
  
"It's... I just think it's strange that I don't know anything about her even though  
we're both pilots." He said while looking down at his plate.  
  
"She's a... nice girl" Ritsuko said a bit hesitantly, "but she's a good deal like  
your father. She's not very adept at..."  
  
"At what?" Shinji asked hopefully.  
  
"At living I guess." Ritsuko finished somewhat cryptically  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
He couldn't believe anyone lived in a neighborhood like that.  
  
Despite the construction he could hear going on, it didn't look as if anyone had  
lived in this part of town for decades. Cracks crisscrossed the streets and sidewalks,  
and everything was covered in concrete dust. That was most likely due to the  
construction, but it just made the area look worse.  
  
The strange part was that even though the apartments were designed for high  
occupancy, there didn't seem to be anyone living there at all. It was eerie to walk  
down the street and not see anyone; it made him feel almost as if he was the only  
one on earth... It was disturbing to say the least.  
  
Rei's apartment was #402 and even it looked abandoned. Letters and advertisements  
were jammed into the mail slot to the point of overflow and there was trash all up and  
down the walkway. Did anyone even live here? And to make matters stranger, how  
could a _girl_ live like this? If he hadn't seen her name above the door he never would  
have believed it. However, after he had tried the doorbell a few times before convincing  
himself that it was broken, he began to doubt she was even home.  
  
'Oh great... if I don't give this to her, she can't get into headquarters and   
someone will chew me out for blowing it off. Think Shinji, maybe I could just leave   
it in the mail? No, she obviously never checks it. I wonder...'  
  
He reached out and tried the doorknob, and to his surprise it turned. The door  
swung open and he found himself with a slight dilemma.  
  
"Um... Ayanami? Are you home?" He called from the door.  
  
'I cant hear anything with all this construction going on.' he realized quickly and  
stepped inside to the foyer. Shutting the door he thankfully found that it blocked  
out a good deal of the sound, and he called out again  
  
"Miss Ayanami?"  
  
Not knowing what else to do, and a bit curious as to whether or not anyone  
actually lived in the tiny apartment, he removed his shoes and stepped past the  
small kitchen into the living area.  
  
'This is... worse than outside!' he realized with a start. The walls and floor were  
completely bare, revealing the concrete slabs used in the foundation. The only furniture  
was a bed, a chair, a fridge, and a dresser. there was an item on the dresser, flashing  
in the dim light that a curtain behind the bed allowed in.  
  
Stepping closer he saw that it was a pair of glasses.  
  
'That's funny, I've never seen her wear any.' Shinji thought as he stepped up to the  
dresser and picked them up. They were bent and the glass was cracked in several places,  
but what immediately caught his eye was an etching on the rim of one side.  
  
G. Ikari.  
  
"Father?" he whispered aloud.  
  
Whatever line off thought that might have brought, however, was banished as a sound  
from behind startled him. Turning he saw Rei Ayanami stepping into the living room clad  
only in a towel, and not very well covered at that.  
  
'Ohm'GodI'madeadman' repeated over and over in his mind as the nearly nude young  
lady looked at him, and then to his hands where he held the glasses. He did a fairly good  
job of not passing out, but as she strode towards him, Shinji finally began to panic. When  
she reached towards him he lost it.  
  
Stumbling backwards, he hit her dresser and let out a yelp as she swiped the glasses  
from his hands. As she pulled the glasses a bit of relief fell over him, unfortunately he   
wasn't  
very well balanced and as she took a short step back, his bag caught on the dresser and he  
fell forward.  
  
Right on her.  
  
He couldn't move. He knew he should, he knew he _had_ to move; but he was too  
stunned and his panic was too high for him to even think straight, let alone move. As he  
kneeled there looking into her red eyes he tried to start his brain, but had no success. It  
wasn't until she spoke that he finally was able to even think straight.  
  
"Will you get off?" she asked calmly displaying none of the anger he had expected.  
  
The higher functions of his brain finally rebooting, he managed to move his eyes away  
from hers, only to realize that his left hand was pressed right against her breast.  
  
"Yeep!" he gasped as he scrambled back. Clambering to his feet he turned from her  
and tried his best to apologies  
  
"I'm... um I didn't mean... um I, er..." he stammered as he wondered if he had left  
anything out of the will they had made him write.  
  
"Why are you here?" Rei asked as she began to dress.  
  
"Hum? What? Oh yes, well its... um I think, oh yeah the card, your card! Doctor  
Akagi asked me to deliver it to you so I um... well that's..."  
  
He might have gone on like that for several hours, except as he continued to babble  
his apologies, he heard the front door close and he was suddenly alone in the apartment.  
  
"Wha?" he said aloud in total confusion. Had she just walked out on him?  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Sure enough that's exactly what she had done. He finally caught up with her about  
three blocks down the road. She didn't seem to see him-- or if she did, she apparently  
didn't care. After another three blocks they finally reached one of the Geofront Access  
gates. As he dug around his pocket to finally give her the card, he heard a beeping sound.  
Looking up he saw that she was trying to gain access using her old card, and was   
receiving  
no clearance. Suppressing a smile he removed the card from his pocket and walked up.  
  
"Clearance for Central Dogma access gate number four approved" the feminine  
recording announced as he slid her card thought the reader. She looked at it, then at  
him, still showing no sign of annoyance or any other emotion.  
  
"This is your new card Miss Ayanami, Doctor Akagi asked me to deliver-" as he  
spoke she reached out and plucked it from his hand before continuing into the access   
gate.  
  
"-it to you..." he finished before shrugging and entering the complex himself.  
  
'She is so _strange_,' he thought as he follower her into the base.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
'And I thought I was quiet' he thought as they rode the almost eternally long escalator  
down to the ground floors of the Geofront. 'Perhaps I ought to say something, I saw her  
and Hikari talking so at least there's a precedent-- no mater what the other kids say. Plus  
I still gotta apologize...'  
  
"Um... I'm sorry about that," he said in what he hoped was a friendly voice, he didn't  
have much experience in these things.  
  
"What for?" she asked in the same soft mysterious voice.  
  
"Um... well..." okay, he decided, new line of conversation, "I heard your activation  
experiment is today, I, um, hope it goes well."  
  
Silence from the young girl.  
  
"Are... are you afraid of getting in that thing?"  
  
"Why should I be?"  
  
'Does she ever give a direct answer?' he thought before continuing "well I heard  
you got hurt pretty bad last time, but you don't seem nervous, I was just wondering  
if you were scared is all."  
  
"You are commander Ikari's son are you not?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you have no faith in your own fathers work?"  
  
What was this? Now she was grilling _him_?  
  
"Of course not," He replied hotly, " how could I ever trust him? He's no father  
at all!"  
  
This was when she slapped him.  
  
He never saw it coming, and even though it wasn't a powerful strike, it stung  
like blazes and left him stunned for the rest of the trip. In fact, he stayed confused  
right through the experiment. Right up until the sirens began to go off.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I'm worried about him." Hikari told her sister as they sat in the shelter.  
  
It had been hours since the alert had gone off, and the authorities had still not  
given them any news. This was the longest the city had been under alert yet; it was  
almost seven and still nothing. Nozomi had wandered off and their father was  
working somewhere at the lab, and this left the two uncomfortably alone.  
  
"Oh? You mean the pilot kid right?" Kodama asked with an amused tone, " the  
one you swore wasn't your boyfriend?"  
  
"I barely know him! It's just that... after what I saw I can't help but worry."  
  
"How bad on him can it be? The boys in school are raving otakus for that sort of  
stuff-- he's probably loving it."  
  
"You haven't seen it Kodama... It's not some game. I saw him have a nervous  
breakdown in the middle of the fight you know."  
  
"Which is why I'm curious as to why you're so fixated on him."  
  
"Will you _stop_ that? He is my friend, and he is a nice boy who is in a  
dangerous situation. Why shouldn't I worry about him?"  
  
"Okay, okay, but I do wish you'd stop hanging out with all these guys-- they  
do nothing but get you in trouble  
  
"That's not fair Kodama."  
  
"Oh really? So it _wasn't_ the famous 'idiot duo's' fault that you're about to  
be kicked out of school?"  
  
"I told you; it was my own fault, I should have gone back for an adult" Hikari  
said angrily.  
  
"And if you'd stopped hanging out with them last year when I first asked, you  
wouldn't have had to do that either."  
  
"At least I have friends," Hikari said coldly as she stood and walked away.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
He hurt all over.  
  
Being boiled alive did that to a person of course, and that's what had happened  
to Shinji. The Fifth Angel had arrived over Tokyo Three just as they finished Unit  
Zero's activation and he had taken Unit One out to fight. Before he could even lift  
a weapon however, the strongest beam of energy he had ever seen erupted from  
of the giant eight-sided figure and had begun to burn into Unit One's chest. The  
LCL had overheated and he had mercifully passed out in a daze of pain.  
  
But not before experiencing enough to ensure at least a month of nightmares  
about being a lobster.  
  
As he drifted back to consciousness he was well aware that every inch of his skin  
felt like it had been scrubbed by a Brillo pad and then dipped in lemon juice. Even so,  
he felt better than he had any right to, and by all means he should be dead. As he opened  
his eyes to find the hospital ceiling he let out a sigh of sad amusement.  
  
"Well at least it's familiar now."  
  
A few moments passed and the door slid open. Turning to look; he saw Rei enter  
his room pushing a tray of food.  
  
As he watched on in silence she placed the tray beside him and pulled out a small  
book with a Nerv logo  
  
"I'm here to inform you of the schedule of Operation Yashima." She told him calmly  
as ever, "It will begin at 0:00 hours. The two pilots, Ikari and Ayanami, will scramble at  
the cage at 17:30 hours today. At 18:00 hours, ready Units One and Zero. At 18:05  
hours, launch. At 18:30 hours, arrive at the Emergency Base on Mt. Futagoyama. We  
will wait there for further instructions. The operation will commence at midnight."  
  
She closed the book and stood there for a moment before setting a plugsuit down  
on the bed.  
  
"Here is your fresh uniform. Don't show up looking like that."  
  
Shinji looked down and yelped as he realized that his sheets had slid down more  
than he cared for them to. Quickly scrambling back under them he bowed his head  
and began to mumble another apology. As he did so, he stopped himself however  
and sighed  
  
"I've been apologizing since this morning..."  
  
"The doctors informed me you were to eat when you awoke." Rei said, seemingly  
not paying attention to anything he had said.  
  
"I don't think I could keep it down."  
  
"You should attempt, we depart in sixty minutes."  
  
"Do I really have to get back into that thing?" he asked almost pleadingly"  
  
"Yes you do." She said simply.  
  
"You don't understand," Shinji said softly, " you can be so cool about it because  
you haven't had to go through the things I have... I don't want to do it again. I can't..."  
  
"Then stay here."  
  
Shinji raised his head and looked at her in surprise.  
  
"I will pilot Unit One, Doctor Akagi is ready to rewrite the core data should that  
become necessary."  
  
"Doctor Akagi..."  
  
"I must go, Captain Katsuragi and Doctor Akagi are awaiting me."  
  
With that she turned and walked to the door. She said one more thing before  
she left. As the door slid closed behind her, she looked at him and said goodbye.  
For some reason it sent chills down his spine.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"What's wrong, Hikari?" Nozomi asked as she sat down beside her sister.  
  
"I had another fight with Kodama." Hikari replied reluctantly. Her younger sister  
nodded sagely and leaned back on her elbows.  
  
"What was this one about?"  
  
"Well I don't know if that's easy to answer. We were arguing about some of  
my friends, but I don't think that's why we were fighting... I think that she's  
disappointed in me."  
  
"Oooooohhh the school thing again?"  
  
"Yeah, the hearing is tomorrow and I think that's what the little spat we had  
was really about."  
  
"Could be, but maybe she isn't really mad, maybe its something else."  
  
"Really? How do you figure?"  
  
"Well, it's not like either of you have ever been very good at coming out  
and saying stuff that's really personal. Remember when she had that crush on  
wazhisname? She beat around the bush for months and never came out and  
said it. Eventually he found someone else and she lost whatever chance she  
did have. And don't try to tell me you're not the same way. She was kinda  
jealous when you first go the class rep job, but I think she was finally starting  
to be proud of how well you were doing when all this happened. Now she's  
confused cuz she doesn't know what to think"  
  
"You ever consider doing an advice section in the school paper?"  
  
"Why give it away when I could start a business of it? No, the free advice  
is just for family."  
  
"Thanks sis" Hikari said as she gave the younger girl a hug "I'll apologize to  
Kodama first chance I get."  
  
"Hey, can't have my two favorite people fighting all the time" Nozomi said  
with a smile, "now tell me more about this pilot guy, is he cute?"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Oh god don't let her be dead!" Shinji prayed as he tried to pull the hatch  
to Unit Zero's entry plug open.  
  
Things had gone sour with the first shot. Whatever the Angel's energy  
beam was made of it had some weird distortion effect on the positron  
canon's own discharge and he had missed.  
  
As he'd chambered in the fresh round and tried to will the canon to cool  
faster, the Angel had fired again. Just before the devastating wave of energy  
struck him Rei had jumped into position. The shield that they had provided  
was designed to provide seventeen seconds of protection before giving out.  
This was a problem seeing as how the rifle required at least three more  
seconds than that before he could fire again.  
  
As her shield gave way and Unit Zero took the full brunt of the onslaught,  
Shinji took aim and opened fire. This time the blast struck home and in the  
distance the angel fell to earth in flames. As he looked back however, he  
saw Unit Zero falling as well, its armor melted and twisted from the heat.  
  
Now as he opened the plug's emergency access hatch in an uncanny  
duplication of his father's actions almost a month before he wondered if  
Rei Ayanami had gone out intending to die. Her last words to him had  
been spoken as if she would never see him again, and they way she  
had said goodbye had been made infinitely more disturbing than had  
been when she'd said the same at the hospital.  
  
"Rei! Are you alright?" he cried as he climbed into the Entryplug to  
find the pale girl lying in the pilot seat. As he reached for her hand he  
remembered her words as they had waited for the order to move out.  
  
"I have nothing else," she had said.  
  
"Rei?" he said again a bit louder as he saw her head turn slightly. As  
her eyes opened he couldn't hold the tears back anymore, he had been  
so afraid she had died… that she had died for something as worthless  
as saving his life. As the tears streamed down his cheeks he began to speak.  
  
"Don't say you have nothing else, and don't say goodbye before leaving  
on a mission, its just too sad!"  
  
She leaned up in the chair and looked at him with confusion.  
  
"Why... why are you crying?" She asked  
  
Shinji sniffed back a sob and told her that he was crying because he  
was happy she was alive.  
  
"I see..." she said as she looked down, "I am sorry, but I do not know  
what I should do or say at a time like this."  
  
"If you're happy... then you should smile" he told her as he calmed  
down a bit.  
  
She nodded and sat there for another moment before he began helping  
her out of the Entryplug. He wasn't sure if she had even listened to what he  
had said until his eyes met hers and he realized that there was a soft look in  
them, another closer glance and he realized that she was actually smiling for  
the first time since he had met her.  
  
As they made their way up the path toward the oncoming emergency crew,  
he decided that a smile suited her.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Please step outside while we deliberate." The school council told the  
few people in the audience.  
  
It had gone about as she had expected, and save for the presence of  
most of her classmates, it had been an awful experience. Touji and Kensuke  
had actually spoken on her behalf, and although they hadn't done very well,  
she was proud of the two for standing up for her. They had tried to take the  
entire blame for the incident and while they had been less than convincing,  
she did appreciate the effort that her friends had made. The committee was  
not easy to speak to, mostly due to the fact that none of them wanted to be  
there in the first place.  
  
As she waited outside with her classmates, she made half-hearted  
acknowledgments to the ones who were wishing her luck and telling  
her they would miss her if she had to go. She was feeling very depressed  
however, and Kodama still wasn't speaking to her. Not only that, but  
She hadn't heard from Shinji since she had called him the other night and  
she was worried for him. They had defeated the angel, the one Kensuke  
kept referring to a giantD8--whatever that was. Unfortunatly there was still  
no word on the condition of the pilots.  
  
Rumors were spreading that someone had seen Unit One take a full force  
blast not too long after the first siren. It was possible that Shinji was hurt  
badly... and there was no way for her to find out.  
  
As she sat there, she saw a familiar figure walk around a corner and up to  
the door where her fate was being decided. It was the blond woman who had  
taken her and the boys' blood samples after the incident that this entire mess  
stemmed from. As Hikari watched on, the woman opened the door and entered  
the meeting hall. A few minutes later, she walked out with a slight smile.  
  
Realizing that the woman worked for Nerv, Hikari stood and hurried after  
her, catching up just before a set of elevators.  
  
"Excuse me ma'am?"  
  
"Yes?" The woman responded as she turned.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude, but do you work for Nerv?"  
  
"Yes I do actually," the woman responded with an amused voice.  
  
"Um... I was wondering, if it isn't classified I mean, if you know if   
Pilot Ikari is all right? He's a friend of mine and I was worried."  
  
"You're Hikari Horaki aren't you?" the women asked as her smile widened.  
  
"Um, yes ma'am."  
  
"Shinji's fine, and he's actually part of the reason I stopped by here   
today."  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"It's not really important, but as I said, he is fine and you should   
see him in school within two weeks."  
  
Before Hikari could even begin to explain about the hearing, the   
elevator opened and the blond woman stepped in. As the doors closed   
Hikari let out a sigh of relief that her friend was alright. It was   
too bad that she probably wouldn't have a chance to see him though.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"After careful consideration of all the factors involved in this   
incident, we have decided that while the charges are severe, the   
circumstances surrounding them point to no real wrongdoing on the part   
of Miss Horaki. However, due to her lack of judgment we are placing   
her on probation and any further breaches of discipline will result   
in loss of her rank as class representative."  
  
Hikari could not have been more surprised; it just wasn't   
possible. She had fully expected the worst punishment that the   
school had available for her screw up. For them to be this lenient   
was unreal.  
  
As she stood there in a state of not unpleasant shock, the rest   
of her class cheered behind her and she suddenly found her sister   
beside her. The older girl gave her a hug and as they left the building   
(after about an hour of praise from her classmates) Kodama spoke up.  
  
"Congratulations sis."  
  
"Thank you Kodama."  
  
"I think I owe you an apology for what I said last night. I was way   
out of line."  
  
" Its okay, I shouldn't have snapped at you.  
  
"It's not okay... I think I was a bit jealous."  
  
"Jealous? Of what?"  
  
"Well when I was class rep, I didn't have many friends... well   
any real ones. I was a bit of a bitch and didn't really care about it   
at the time. When you got the job and I heard that you were... well   
at the time I thought you were slacking off and wouldn't last a month.   
Then you not only kept the job but seemed to be doing a good job, well   
lets just say that after I didn't win the position in my class this   
year a green eyed monster bit me."  
  
"You've been talking with Nozomi haven't you?"  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"She says we both tend to beat around the bush too much and that   
whole bit just now sounded more like her than you... or me for that   
matter."  
  
Kodama smiled and let out a chuckle. "Ok, you got me there, she   
gave me a pointer or two. Hey you want to go to the mall?"  
  
"Well actually if your not busy I was wondering if you wouldn't   
mind making a quick stop somewhere..."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As he sat in the living room, Shinji Ikari swore that he was never going to eat  
anything that had been boiled ever again.  
  
His entire body felt sore, and that wasn't counting the constant itching his  
clothing was causing as it brushed his skin. Ritsuko had assured him that the  
aching would be gone in a few day's as his skin finished repairing the outer  
layers, but until then he would still feel like hell warmed... boiled over.  
  
He only dimly heard the doorbell and as Misato answered he tuned even that  
out until she called his name.  
  
"Hey Shinji!" she yelled from beyond the kitchen, "get decent, we got company!"  
  
He rolled his eyes and got to his feet. Just because she wandered the house  
half-naked didn't mean everyone else did too. As he walked into the kitchen he  
was more than a bit surprised to find Hikari and a slightly older girl he didn't  
know walking in after Misato.  
  
"Shinji!" Hikari said cheerfully as she saw him, "guess what?"  
  
"Hi Hikari, what's going on?" he asked as he wondered who the other girl was.  
  
"I didn't get expelled or even booted off as class rep!" she said with obvious joy.  
  
"That's great Hikari!" Shinji said as Misato agreed, "I'm glad, we would have  
missed you at school."  
  
The other girl looked back and forth between the two and smirked. Shinji saw  
this and immediately grew worried, she had just mimicked perfectly what he tended  
to think of as a 'Misato smirk' and it usually signaled an imminent round of teasing.  
  
"You were right Hikari, he is a sweetie." The older girl sad, immediately sending  
Misato into a gigglefit. Hikari, meanwhile blushed furiously and looked at the girl  
with an obvious desire to strangle her.  
  
"Kodama!" she said with indignation, " that wasn't nice."  
  
"You're right, I should at least introduce myself before I start teasing someone.  
I'm Hikari's older sister Kodama. By the way I am very pleased you meet you Mr.  
Ikari, and you as well Captain Katsuragi. Thank you both for saving my sister's life  
the other day."  
  
"Oh, just doing our jobs Kodama, and lets all be friends here, He's Shinji and I'm   
Misato."  
  
"Sounds fine by me," Kodama said. As the two began talking, Shinji and Hikari   
slipped out unnoticed into the living room.  
  
"Oh great, " Shinji muttered, " there's two of them now."  
  
Between the giggles that this statement caused in Hikari, she agreed "I think bringing   
sismay not have been one of my better moves.  
  
"Well at least they seem to be getting along," Shinji said, "I am glad you didn't get   
into much trouble though, I've been worried about it ever since you called the other night. I  
would have been there but they didn't release me until an hour ago and Misato wanted  
me to stay inside."  
  
"Well I should be thanking you anyway, that doctor lady said something and I think  
that had more to do with their decision than anything."  
  
"Doctor lady?"  
  
"The one with the lab coat and the short blond hair."  
  
"Oh you mean Doctor Akagi? Was she there?"  
  
"You didn't know? She implied that she was there because of you."  
  
"Well she was in the room when I was asking Misato if there was anything we could  
do to help you... maybe she thought of something."  
  
"Well thank her for me next time you see her okay?"  
  
"Absolutely. "Shinji said.  
  
As they talked about school for a bit, Misato leaned in and asked to speak with 'the  
lovebirds' for a moment. As they blushed and complained about the teasing they stepped  
back into the kitchen.  
  
Misato was sitting at the table with Kodama and asked them to sit down.  
  
"Okay, listen up cuz I'm about to get serious for a change-- don't worry it won't last  
long. Anyway, look-- the two of you are friends and I'm happy about that, but I want you  
to remember that Shinji works for a organization that has many top secret projects. I   
don't want either of you discussing Nerv when you can help it, and never _ever_ talk about it   
or the Evas over the phone. Do you understand that?"  
  
Shinji and Hikari nodded.  
  
"Good, now who wants to play quarters?"  
  
  
[]======================[]  
To be Continued...  
[]======================[]  
  
  
Authors incoherent babbling  
  
I skipped over a lot of the fight because like I said awhile back, we've seen  
these in the episodes, and in this case it didn't have a lot to do with the story I'm  
telling (not to mention it didn't go any differently).   
  
Other stuff, whatcha think of Hikari's sisters? My concepts for them are as follows:  
  
About the * I don't know just how Japanese schools are structured, but if they  
are like what I know, then junior high is two years. I'm going on the assumption of  
Kodama being class rep all the way up to high school.  
  
Kodama: after realizing that she was something of a jerk while class rep she had  
become a little jealous of Hikari, but felt bad about feeling that way. Now that that's  
behind them I intend to play her a bit like Misato in the fact that she teases Hikari  
about Shinji often. She and Misato hit it off and will be friends, (should be a good  
way to do more scenes with the 'lovebirds' together) (not them you hentai, I meant  
Shinji and Hikari!)  
  
Nozomi: a little imp. She is sharp as a monomolecular edge and loves it when  
people don't realize this. She plays up the helpwess wittle goil act and uses it  
to fool people into thinking she's a flake. Her sisters know better, and keep  
an eye on her. She is full of useful advice and surprises people often with this.  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  



	5. Book One Part Four

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
When I was a child  
I caught a fleeting glimpse  
Out of the corner of my eye  
I turned to look but it was gone  
I can not put my finger on it now  
Comfortably Numb  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
[]=========================[]  
Book One - Part Four   
[]=========================[]  
  
  
"So how did your first day on the town with the Idiot Duo go?"   
Hikari asked Shinji over the phone.  
  
"Well even my softest clothes still feel like they're made of   
burlap, but other than that it went pretty good," Shinji said. He had   
mostly healed from the Fifth Angel's attack, but apparently his skin   
was still extremely sensitive. She could hear him shifting slightly   
to a more comfortable position as he continued, "We went down to   
the entertainment district and spent most of the day at one of their   
favorite arcade houses."  
  
"Anything new out there? I haven't had time to go in awhile."  
  
"Well it was my first time so I don't know what was new, but   
we spent a lot of time playing this VR racing game they had."  
  
"Oh? The one with the hovercraft? It's not new but it's fairly   
popular. They even talked me into playing it once."  
  
"Yeah, once I got the hang of it I did pretty well. I guess   
Kensuke plays it a lot-- he even beat the guy who was working   
there."  
  
"He probably 'forgot' to mention that he's captain of the local   
team," Hikari said with a giggle, "well I'm glad they invited you,   
we haven't seen you in almost two weeks."  
  
"Dr. Akagi says that I'm done with the tests for awhile. They   
can't do much more till either Wing is repaired or Duo arrives."   
  
This was a little word game that Kensuke had come up with so   
that they could talk about Shinji's job over the phone. They weren't   
allowed to discuss the Eva's themselves, but as long as the   
Evangelions or other technical aspects weren't mentioned by name,   
the automatic system that monitored calls wouldn't terminate the   
connection. It was one of the few times that Kensuke's mech fetish   
had actually come in handy.  
  
"I'm glad too," he continued, "I barely had time to recover   
before they pulled me out of school for the experiments."   
  
"If you're so tired why are you up so late? We do have school   
tomorrow you know."  
  
"I'll be fine, and I haven't had much time to talk with you   
lately... besides, according to Touji and Kensuke, a guy who passes   
up an opportunity to talk with a pretty girl is a moron."   
  
"I think I ought to be afraid if you're taking advice from those   
two blockheads. They don't know the first thing about girls."  
  
"As displayed by their drooling over Misato every time they   
stop by."  
  
"Are they _still_ doing that?"   
  
"I'm afraid so," Shinji replied with a sigh, "and to make matters   
worse she keeps playing up to it. When they stopped by Friday she   
was wearing those cutoffs again."  
  
"You mean the ones you said almost qualified as a French   
bikini?"  
  
"Those are the ones-- I thought Kensuke was going to get a   
nosebleed that first day."  
  
"Oh, like you didn't the first time you saw them," she said   
playfully.  
  
"I suppose I should have, but when I got here I was so messed   
up from... everything, that I was too tired to care. Now I just find it   
embarrassing."  
  
"Well she seems like the type of person who does things just to   
mess with other peoples' heads, but that doesn't have to be a bad   
thing. By the way-- speaking of Misato-- did she give you those   
printouts? You were at work when I tried to drop them by last   
week."  
  
"If you're referring to the enormous stack of paper on my desk,   
I'm afraid she did. I don't know how sensei finds the time to give   
out all this and still spend two hours a day telling us about every   
moment of his life from the last fifteen years."   
  
"What I want to know is how you're expected to keep up with   
the class given your... um, 'duties'."  
  
"To be honest I was surprised they had me go to school in the   
first place. I mean, you're right; with all the stuff they have me   
doing its not like I have the time or the energy to properly tackle   
my studies."   
  
"Well your job is nothing if not unusual. And it's impossible to   
guess just how long you might have to keep doing it. I suppose   
they felt that if you made an effort now you wouldn't have to play   
catch up to five or six years of missed school later down the line."  
  
"I guess, but I don't see how I'm supposed to do all of this and   
still keep my grades up-- I didn't even have time to start."  
  
"Well if you do need help remember I'm always available to   
give you a hand."  
  
"I thought you already had a bunch of students you were   
helping?"  
  
"I did until just before the hearing. When I realized that I might   
get expelled, I arranged for some upperclassmen to take on my   
workload. I think I'll let the others keep them for awhile-- I'm   
enjoying the break. But I wouldn't have a problem helping you out   
if you need it."  
  
"I don't want to cut into your free time, Hikari..."  
  
"Oh please," she said slightly annoyed-- sometimes it seem as if   
Shinji couldn't make up his mind if he wanted attention or not. He   
would shy away from groups of people, but at the same time she   
knew he wanted company. It was an odd contradiction, but there   
were worse personality traits a person could have. Plus it made him   
easy to tease.  
  
"First off," she told him with an authoritative voice, " you're   
my friend, and second, it's my duty as a citizen of Tokyo Three to   
assist such an important figure as yourself if I am in any way able.   
  
"I wish you wouldent talk like that Hikari, it embarrasses me."  
  
"Oh," sometimes he took the bait, and sometimes he didn't. It   
sounded like it would be best to drop it this time around, "sorry   
Shinji, I'll leave the teasing to Misato."  
  
"Its alright, I just don't like people making a big deal about the   
whole thing."  
  
"I understand," she told him as she yawned, "Well it really is   
getting late and I need to get ready for bed, I'll see you in class   
tomorrow Shinji, Good night."  
  
"Good night, Hikari," Shinji said as he hung up the phone.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Walking back to his room, Shinji passed his desk-- sighing as   
he took another look at the large pile of school printouts. He was   
definitely going to have to take Hikari up of her offer if he was   
ever going to get caught up anytime soon. Fortunately until he had   
come to Tokyo Three his grades had been quite good. If he worked   
hard at it he might just manage to catch up. The parent-teacher   
conference was later that week, and the meeting was to discuss the   
grades for the previous quarter. With any luck his grades should   
still reflected those of before his arrival.  
  
It suddenly struck him that he had recently been spending much   
more time talking to Hikari than with Touji or Kensuke. He   
supposed that it was mostly due to the fact that he felt more   
relaxed around her than he did with the other two. He had told her   
things that he hadn't shared with anyone else-- specifically about   
the incident with Rei just before Unit Zero's activation.  
  
Hikari had laughed at that, and in hindsight it was kind of funny.   
Thankfully she had understood that he didn't mean for any of it to   
happen, and had promised to talk with Rei and explain that he was   
sorry.   
  
'I'm actually happy for the first time in... well, a really long   
time' he realized with a smile. It was something he hadn't really   
expected to happen, especially after the first battle. Since he had   
arrived here however, he had begun to make friends. That was   
something new to him. He'd been alone for so long that he had   
almost thought it to be normal. Lately as he looked back on his   
time before he arrived he was a little shocked at how hollow his   
life had been.   
  
'This is the first time in so long that I've felt so accepted,' he   
thought, 'its strange; I don't feel like I deserve it somehow...'   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
" So tell me again how much power they used in that particle   
rifle?" Kensuke asked later that week. Shinji had been joining him   
and Touji at their lunch spot on the roof, and he'd been just   
admiring the view until Kensuke had started in on his all time   
favorite subject.  
  
" I told you I don't remember Kensuke, it was over a hundred   
gigawatts though," Shinji replied as he ate his lunch. It was an   
instant meal, which thankfully meant no curry spice.  
  
"Interesting, according to the calculations one of the guys on   
my message board came up with; the Angel would have required at   
least that much energy to maintain such a field, what did they call   
them again?"  
  
"Kensuke, if you don't chill, your going to get him in trouble,"   
Touji said with his mouth half full of rice, "not to mention what's   
going to happen if anyone sees that website of yours."  
  
"I know, and I'm sorry Shinji, but it's all so interesting! I mean,   
if they had to shut down all the power grids in Japan, then it had to   
be almost two hundred gigawatts, if not more! So how did the   
angel generate that much power? We saw it that night before the   
sunset, and you could see through it, but it lowered a _mechanical_   
drill into the geofront! I thought these things were organic. Just   
what are we fighting anyway?"  
  
"I know what you mean Kensuke, but I don't understand it any   
more than Touji does. To me its just one battle after the other, and   
I don't have the knack for technical things like you do."  
  
"And if your absences keep piling up you wont gain one   
either..." Kensuke added with a frown.  
  
"Dr. Akagi said that I was done with the testing for awhile,"   
Shinji told them, privately smiling as he realized that he was   
having almost the same conversation as he had with Hikari a   
couple of nights before. Looking back over at Kensuke, who was   
sitting outside the rail he continued, "they still need to go through   
the data they collected, and until either Unit Zero is done or Unit   
Two is sent there isn't much more they can do."  
  
"Well at least you're off the hook," Touji said.  
  
"For now, anyway... but it's so hard keeping up with my classes   
and participating in the tests. I wish they would pick one or the   
other. I don't know why they have me doing both. It's just wearing   
me out."  
  
"Well maybe they thought being around other kids would relax   
you a bit?" Kensuke ventured, " I mean, as shut off as you were   
when you got here I can't imagine how bad off you'd be if you   
hadn't started school."  
  
"I guess you have a point, Kensuke... and I have to admit that   
having friends is definitely making the whole thing easier."  
  
"Plus you get to hang with the class rep." Touji added with a   
grin.  
  
"Oh not this again," Shinji said defensively, "we're just friends!   
Why does everyone want to make it sound like any minute we're   
going to elope or something?"  
  
"Because it's fun to watch you fly off the handle like that."  
  
Shinji's response to this was to bang his head lightly on the rail.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hello Rei," Hikari said as she sat down beside her, "how are   
you feeling?"  
  
Rei looked up from her book at Hikari and for a change didn't   
turn back to her reading immediately.  
  
"I am well Representative Horaki. My injuries have healed."  
  
Hikari smiled and nodded as she tried to figure out how to   
approach the subject she had planned. "You know you don't have   
to call me by my title all the time. I won't mind if you just call me   
Hikari, or if you have to be formal 'Miss Horaki' will do. "  
  
"Understood," the albino girl replied simply. Hikari wasn't sure   
whether it meant that Rei would stop calling her that, or that she   
just understood that she didn't like it. With Rei it was always a   
challenge to decipher her meanings. At any rate Hikari had   
promised Shinji that she'd find out if Rei was angry with him or   
not. After his slip up awhile back he was more than a bit nervous   
around Rei, and didn't quite feel it was appropriate to ask in   
person.  
  
"Um Rei, can I ask you something?" Hikari started  
  
Rei just sat there looking at her. She assumed that meant 'yes'.  
  
"Shinji told me what happened at your apartment. He really   
feels bad about it, and I wanted to make sure you knew that he   
didn't mean for it to happen. You're not mad at him are you?"  
  
"Why would I be?"  
  
"Well for starters he saw you naked!" Hikari said with no small   
amount of confusion toward the girl's cool attitude.  
  
"I do not understand. Why does this trouble him?"  
  
Had Hikari not already had a few of these unusual discussions   
with Rei this might have discouraged her. However, by now she   
was beginning to understand that there was a strange naivete about   
Rei. Not so much that she was childlike, more as if there were gaps   
in her experience in life. In this case, it was if she honestly didn't   
realize that women were supposed to show modesty around men--  
in which case explaining the concept might take an hour or even an   
entire day. Seeing as she only had a few minutes before class was   
over-- she opted to save that discussion for another time.  
  
"He feels that he invaded your privacy by seeing you like that,   
and he really feels bad about it. If you're really not mad, it might   
be best to let him know."  
  
"I see. Thank you for bringing this to my attention... Miss   
Horaki"  
  
Well, it was a start.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As she pulled into the school parking lot, Misato caught a   
glimpse of Shinji sitting at his classroom's window. Even from   
where she was she could tell he was moping again.  
  
That wouldn't do at all.  
  
Gunning the engine, she yanked the wheel around, hit the   
brakes, tossed her car into reverse and spun it into the parking spot   
with pinpoint accuracy. Proud of her successful maneuver, she   
glanced up through the windshield and saw that Shinji was sitting   
up and looking down with an expression of shock. His two friends,   
who were precariously hanging out the window for a better look at   
her, had excited and lustful smiles plastered on their faces.   
  
As she grinned and climbed out of the car, a dozen other male   
students joined the three boys at the window and she began to hear   
wolf whistles and very appreciative comments drift down to the   
parking lot. Putting on her shades she looked up and tossed a V up   
at the boys then headed into the building.   
  
It was too bad that males didn't stay as predictable as they were   
at fifteen.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
'Okay, this is officially creeping me out' she thought fifteen   
minutes later as she looked around the conference hall.   
  
This Junior High school was specifically set aside for the   
children of Nerv's employees; she had already known that. She had   
also known that with the dropping birth rates since second impact   
that the number of students in this particular class was only large   
enough to fill one classroom.   
  
She hadn't known that she was going to be the only woman at   
the meeting.   
  
It was strange... no, strike that, it was damn weird. Each   
student had at least one person representing them, and they all   
seemed to be the fathers, or in one or two cases the grandfather. It   
wasn't until Kodama Horaki stepped in that she felt better about it,   
and even that wasn't much of a relief. Did any of these kids have a   
mom?  
  
The younger girl saw her and smiled. The meeting wasn't for   
another five minutes and they had a bit of time to chitchat, so they   
took advantage and struck up a conversation.  
  
"Hi Kodama, I didn't expect to see you here today."  
  
"Well father is in the middle of a project and he asked me to   
come for him. Um... is it me or is something deeply wrong with   
this picture?" she asked as she looked around the room.  
  
"At least I'm not imagining things... it's beyond spooky isn't it?   
I was just thinking about it as you came in. Looks like Second   
Impact wasn't too kind to our gender."  
  
"I guess not. So what's the latest?"  
  
"Well Shinji spent about an hour on the phone last night with   
your sister-- I don't think I've seen him hold a conversation that   
long since he arrived."  
  
"That's adorable! So when do you think the sparks will start   
flying?"  
  
"Its hard to say with Shinji, a week or two ago I would have   
said that he wouldn't make a move if you used a cattle prod on   
him, but I think he's opening up more. I've seen him smile more in   
the last week than in the two months since he arrived."   
  
"Hmmm and Hikari is just as slow as I was at her age... perhaps   
a little subtle coaxing on our part might be of some benefit?"  
  
"Well under normal circumstances I'd jump at the idea, but with   
Shinji's job being what it is I don't know how fair dragging Hikari   
into it all would be. It's very stressful and it might be very hard on   
her to deal with the fallout of a bad mission."  
  
"Give her some credit Misato, she's a tough kid."  
  
"Okay, but on your own head be it," Misato said with a smile,   
"so what's our first big plot to get them together?"  
  
"How about something simple like dinner? Hikari loves to   
cook, and I think I overheard them talking about it on the phone   
last week."  
  
"Might work, might work, I have to head out of town tomorrow   
though... how's tonight sound?"  
  
"Well I don't think that would be too much of a problem, but   
let's do it over at our place."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Well let's say that I don't trust Nozomi not to swipe from your   
liquor cabinet."  
  
"You think she'd try to get drunk?"  
  
"No I think she'd sell it to her classmates."  
  
"Oh..."   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"We're _what_?" Hikari and Shinji asked simultaneously  
  
"We're all going to have dinner at our place" Kodama said as   
they walked to Misato's car.   
  
"But who's going to cook?" Hikari wanted to know.  
  
"Well," Misato said cheerfully, "since Shinji has been bugging   
me for weeks to let him loose in the kitchen and since you sister   
has such high praise for your culinary talents I figured we'd let the   
two of you whip something up. I deposited enough money in   
Shinji's account to cover the supplies and you two have a good   
three hours to put something together. While you're doing that,   
_we_ are going downtown with Ritsuko to pick up our uniforms   
from the cleaners.   
  
As the two got into the car and drove off, Shinji turned to his   
friend and shrugged. Hikari covered her eyes with her hand and let   
out a sigh.  
  
"We have _got_ to keep those two apart," she said as they   
headed to the store.   
  
"I agree, they're a dangerous combination."  
  
"Well, we better start planning... what do you feel in the mood   
for?"  
  
"Hmm... well, I don't think we have time for anything too   
fancy-- how about we make a quick detour. We can grab my book   
from the apartment and look through it on the way to the store.   
We'll pick up the supplies we need and should have time to cook   
something decent. "  
  
"We'd better get going then."  
  
As they made their way up to the apartment, Hikari commented   
on something she had noticed on her first visit.   
  
"Hey Shinji? Does anyone else even live here?"  
  
"I don't think so. When I got here there wasn't anyone else, and   
no one has moved in... I think we're the only ones."  
  
"That's weird... why do you suppose that is? It's a nice   
complex."  
  
"Well there is the war going on, other than Nerv staff most of   
the population left after the first battle, we haven't had many   
people move into town."  
  
"I suppose, but don't you think it's creepy? Having the whole   
place to yourselves like that?"  
  
"I guess, but at the same time its kind of nice. I remember when   
I was living with my uncle we stayed in a small apartment for   
awhile and the guy upstairs would always complain when I played   
my cello."  
  
"Really? I remember reading something about that in your   
transfer file, how long have you played?"  
  
"For a few years now, but I'm not very good."  
  
"Well do you think you could play for me sometime? I've never   
actually heard someone play a solo."  
  
"... Okay, but it'll have to wait, right now we have a dinner to   
plan."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
It had not escaped Hikari's notice how much time she had been   
spending with Shinji lately. She enjoyed his company: he was   
polite, considerate, and with a bit of patence and kindness he   
would open right up.   
  
She liked that; most guys had such an ego that talking to them   
was more like being talked _at_ than anything. With Shinji it was   
like she had his total attention. He was still shy, and she usually   
had to coax him into a conversation, but once she got him started   
they ended up talking for hours. One night back while Shinji had   
been recovering from the fifth angel, they had actually stayed up   
the whole night on the phone. She was fairly certain that Misato   
hadn't found out about that one yet, because she was sure they   
would never hear the end of it if or when she did.   
  
She wasn't sure just what was going on between them, but she   
liked it. It was a wonder that none of the other girls in class had   
made a pass at him because there was a lot about him to like. He   
was attentive and always listened to what she had to say. He didn't   
go around gossiping about the things they talked about, and he   
didn't seem to realize that he stereotypically should be using this   
chance to try to kiss her.   
  
Then again... was that good or bad?  
  
She couldn't honestly say. She had thought about it once or   
twice. Between Misato and Kodama's teasing it was nigh   
impossible for her not to have. That and the fact that Shinji was   
kind of cute made it a line of thought that was sometimes hard to   
avoid.   
  
A bit later as they made their way through the grocery store,   
that line of thought was crossing her mind again. It was mostly due   
to something she had caught out of the corner of her eye as they   
were heading back to the checkout counter. She had been double-  
checking their selections against the list they had made up when   
she had seen Shinji looking at her with a wistful smile on his face.   
It had taken a bit of willpower not to say anything; she wasn't sure   
just what that look had meant. It might have been just a friendly   
smile; she knew how grateful Shinji had been as of late to have   
friends. Then again he might have been thinking along the lines   
she was.   
  
The question was; should she say something about it?  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hey Nozomi!" Hikari called as they walked into her home.   
  
"Yes?" Came a voice from somewhere inside  
  
"We have company!" Hikari said as she and Shinji set their   
groceries on a table. As they began setting up in the kitchen a few   
minutes later, a girl of around eleven came walking in. when she   
saw Shinji, a grin spread across her face and she turned to Hikari.   
  
"Is he the pilot guy?" she asked, causing Shinji to blush and   
Hikari to roll her eyes.  
  
"Nozomi, he's a guest! Would it kill you to at least _pretend_ to   
be polite?" Hikari asked. She sighed and turned to Shinji, saying,   
"I'm sorry... I should have warned you about the imp here."  
  
"It's ok," Shinji said as he turned and smiled at the young girl,   
"hello Nozomi, my name is Shinji Ikari, pleased to meet you."  
  
"Likewise," the girl replied with a bright smile, " sorry if I   
embarrassed you."  
  
"It's okay, I'm almost used to that kind of thing at this point."  
  
"So you _are_ the pilot guy right?"   
  
"Nozomi!"   
  
"What?" the girl asked with a well-practiced innocent look   
springing to her face.  
  
"Never mind," Hikari said, turning back to the groceries and   
muttering darkly.  
  
"Anyway," the younger girl said, "Kodama called and said that   
she and the other lady would be here in a couple of hours."  
  
"Thanks for letting us know," Shinji said.  
  
"Is she your mom?"  
  
Even Nozomi could see from Shinji's sudden change in   
demeanor that an immediate change in topic was in order.   
Resolving not to bring that up again, she asked him what the   
Geofront was like.  
  
"Most of the population has seen it from the observation decks,   
but I want to know what its like from the ground floor," she said.  
  
Shinji thought about that for a moment before answering, "well,   
when the city is in battle formation it looks amazing, because all   
the lights come on and it's like an upside down palace in the mist.   
Even when the buildings are on the surface, it's still impressive.   
The ceiling is so far up that a slight haze makes it hard to make out   
sometimes, I think that's humidity or something from the lake.   
When they open the skylights, beams of sunlight shine down and   
that's when it looks it's most beautiful. Plus, when a transport is   
moving on the rails you can see its lights glowing-- I think it looks   
like a chain of fireflies personally."  
  
"Wow," was all either Nozomi had to say. Hikari was a touch   
more speechless. She'd known that Shinji had more than a small   
romantic streak hiding in him. Hearing it come out like that was   
enough to make her rethink something she'd previously decided to   
put off for awhile...  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I am _so_ sorry," Hikari said with a blush as Nozomi went to   
the living room to play a videogame.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"I didn't think she would be such a pest. She's usually at least a   
bit more subtle when we have company."  
  
"I didn't mind," Shinji said as they began cutting vegetables.   
  
"Well I'm glad she didn't embarrass you too much-- with all the   
questions about piloting I mean."  
  
"I was just glad she didn't ask about anything classified. I still   
feel bad when I have to tell Kensuke or Touji that something they   
asked is off limits."   
  
"I can imagine."  
  
"I kind of envy you though. I never had any brothers or sisters,   
and my Uncle was so distant that he might as well not have even   
been family."   
  
"I understand, but you do have someone at least. I mean, if you   
think about it, Misato seems more like a big sister to you than   
anything."   
  
"I don't know... something tells me that big sisters generally   
don't try to tease their brothers by walking around wearing next to   
nothing."  
  
"Ok, you have a point there."  
  
"So do you though, I just never really thought about it," Shinji   
said as he stopped cutting for a moment, "when Nozomi asked if   
she was my mother back there I almost got mad, and I don't really   
know why."  
  
"We lost our mom a few years ago too." Hikari said softly.   
"There was an accident at the lab and she got infected with   
something. I think that's why dad works so hard now... He won't   
let anyone do a hazardous project if he isn't there to supervise. It's   
kind of sad though-- its like he thinks that if he had been there   
mom wouldn't have been hurt and he's trying to make up for it."  
  
Shinji nodded and was quiet for a while as he took that in.   
Finally he said, "I don't know why my father is the way he is.   
After mom died he changed completely. I barely remember what   
he was like before, I was only five when it happened... but I think I   
remember him smiling once. I never saw him do that afterwards.   
He never wrote to me or called until just before I came here, and   
even that was through intermediaries. The first time I had any   
contact with him in three years was in Unit One's cage, and... it   
didn't go very well."  
  
"I don't think it's the same Shinji..." Hikari said sadly,   
"whatever happened to your father must have hurt him much   
worse. Dad might work hard but he still takes care of us. Maybe   
this is because I'm a girl, but I can't think of anything bad enough   
to make someone want to abandon their child like that."  
  
As she said that, Shinji froze and then suddenly turned away.   
Concerned, she leaned over and saw a tear roll down his cheek.   
  
"Oh no... Shinji I'm sorry," she told him as she realized she had   
said that without thinking. He had never spoken much about his   
father, and she didn't know just how deep the gulf between the two   
was, but it obviously was a more painful topic for her friend than   
she had initially thought.   
  
"I'll be fine, just give me a moment," he said with more than a   
little embarrassment.   
  
"Listen," she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "you've   
been dealing with whatever this is alone for awhile now, maybe   
you need to let it out. Bottling it up like that can't be good for you."  
  
"Hikari..." he said, " it hurts to even think about it."  
  
"I can see that Shinji... if you want to wait, that's fine, I   
understand this must be hard, but don't wait too long ok? I'm   
always here to listen if you need to talk."  
  
"Thank you," he said, smiling as he sniffed back the tears.   
  
"Hey, I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't at least try to   
help you out with something this painful. We'll talk about it some   
more later. For now lets get the rest of this ready before the evil   
twins show up."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"We're back!" Kodama called as she and Misato entered the   
house.   
  
"Wow..." Misato said taking a quick peek in the kitchen, " if   
this tastes as good as it smells, I'll have to let Shinji handle the   
cooking from here on out."  
  
"Only if you take over the garbage and the bathroom" Shinji   
said as he and Hikari continued to set the table "I have enough of   
the chores as it is."  
  
"Awww, we decided that fair and square Shinji, it's unseemly to   
complain now."  
  
"Let's give them a minute to finish up Misato," Kodama said,   
"we can go hunt up Nozomi so I can introduce you."  
  
"See ya," Misato said as they headed upstairs.  
  
Once they were out of earshot, Shinji paused and shook his   
head. "I don't know how they hit it off so well, Kodama is so much   
younger than she is."  
  
"Well, they seem to be about equally mature." Hikari replied as   
she checked the rice.  
  
"Um... does that make Misato far less mature, or Kodama far   
more mature than normal?"   
  
"You got me there... probably somewhere in between."  
  
"Do you think they're going to let up on us tonight?"  
  
"Not a chance."  
  
"I guessed as much."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Rei finished her dinner she thought back over her day.   
  
She had found out that Pilot Ikari retained unease from their   
meeting many weeks ago. Miss Horaki had spoken to her again   
and had told her this. It seemed that Pilot Ikari and Miss Horaki   
had been together even more often than usual over the course of   
the week. It was a deviation from the boy's earlier behavior. Had   
this been a result of his fight with the Angel? Or was it something   
she had merely not seen before?   
  
It was odd for her to be spending so much time thinking of   
these things. For example, she had never considered that his seeing   
her unclothed would have upset Pilot Ikari so much, or that he   
would think her to be upset about the incident. In truth she had   
been mildly annoyed that he had disturbed Commander Ikari's   
glasses, but since no damage had been incurred there was no need   
for concern.   
  
She still did not understand what it had been about her   
appearance that had bothered him. Neither Commander Ikari nor   
Doctor Akagi had ever displayed such unease when she disrobed   
for tests. She did know that to go unclad outdoors was against the   
law, and even if she had wanted to there was skin damage to   
consider. Perhaps Pilot Ikari had never seen a woman in such a   
state? That was possible, but it did not explain why he would   
believe her angry with him.   
  
'Perhaps I could discuss this with Doctor Akagi,' she thought as   
she undressed for bed, 'it would be rude to disturb the Commander   
with such trivial questions.'  
  
Ever since the Fourth Angel had attacked, the UN had finally   
put Project E on top priority. It was fortunate that the government   
body had finally released the funds necessary to the project. Had   
they done so sooner, perhaps the Angel would not have taken them   
all off guard. It would not be long now before Unit Zero's   
reconstruction would be completed, and she would be able to take   
her place as she was meant to.   
  
Had Pilot Ikari not returned, she would have become the   
designated pilot of Unit One and would have a greater purpose.   
She was, however, uncertain as to why she'd felt a brief   
apprehension before being informed of his return.   
  
To Pilot Eva was her purpose, and despite Pilot Ikari's   
insistence, she had nothing else. The repeated damage to Unit Zero   
was an annoyance to her because it prevented her from   
accomplishing her purpose. Pilot Ikari's return had also denied her   
purpose, but for reasons she was unable to decipher, she was not   
upset about this.   
  
Something else to ask Doctor Akagi perhaps?   
  
Or perhaps not. The doctor was sometimes put at unease with   
discussing anything of an emotional nature with her. Once when   
asked why the Commander had transferred her to this apartment   
the doctor's reply had been less than convincing.   
  
There were two others she might consider asking. Miss Horaki   
had developed a friendship with Pilot Ikari and conceivably might   
be of help on this matter. Also Captain Katsuragi was the boy's   
guardian, she perhaps could explain the lack of annoyance toward   
Pilot Ikari's return.   
  
Having found several possible solutions to her dilemma, Rei   
did what Pilot Ikari had told her was the appropriate response to   
happiness.  
  
She smiled.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"So what are your plans for the future Hikari?" Misato wanted   
to know as they ate.   
  
"Well, I haven't really decided, but I'm thinking about perhaps   
teaching."   
  
"Really?" Misato said before taking a bite and swallowing, "is   
that because of your class rep thingie?"  
  
"Actually it's because of our class's teacher."  
  
"What?" Kodama said as she turned to her sister, "you can't   
seriously be saying that that senile old goat is an inspiration to you,   
he was putting us to sleep three years ago, and I doubt he's gotten   
_better_"  
  
Hikari giggled at that before answering "not in the way you   
think Kodama, I want the kids to have a good teacher, not one who   
spends two hours of the day rehashing the same story week after   
week."  
  
"That's a noble cause if I ever heard one," Nozomi said, " try to   
graduate before I hit Junior High wouldja?"   
  
"If I could I would half-pint, but I think I have a ways to go   
yet."  
  
"How about you Shinji?" Kodama asked, "what are your big   
plans for the future.   
  
She didn't seem to have thought about it before she asked, and   
Misato frowned- knowing all too well that Shinji's future might   
well have been decided for him. It didn't seem fair somehow, but   
even as Kodama seemed to realize this-- he spoke up.   
  
"I don't know, I never thought about it much. I think I might   
make a good teacher* but I don't know if that's for me. I like   
music, and I might try to learn how to write some. I think I could   
be happy doing that."  
  
"Well its important to make sure whatever it is you try to enjoy   
it if you can," Misato said, but to herself she added 'even if it is   
Eva.'  
  
"Well I want Misato's job." Nozomi said as she took a third   
helping of rice. "That way I can yell at people and get drunk all the   
time."  
  
Three of the other four people in the room promptly cracked up   
at this as Misato privately calculated the penalty for throwing a   
small child into oncoming traffic. Shaking it off she joined the   
others in laughing before responding "I don't think you could   
handle the paperwork sweetie. Every time Shinji here steps on a   
building I have to fill out a damage report. And until recently he   
was a bit of a klutz."  
  
Nozomi frowned at this, "how well do you remember those   
reports?"  
  
"Well I have a pretty good memory, its part of how I got the   
job."  
  
"Do you remember how building 253 in D section got   
crushed?"  
  
"Nozomi, is something wrong?" Hikari asked, seeming   
suddenly suspicious of her younger sister.  
  
Misato however hadn't noticed the glare she was giving Nozomi   
yet, "well lets see here, that was one of the ones damaged during   
the first battle, I think it got damaged early on in the fight."  
  
"How early?" Nozomi asked carefully, causing Misato to finally   
realize that this wasn't the same playful conversation it had started   
as.  
  
"That building was first damaged when the Angel attacked Unit   
One," She replied, recalling the information, "the combination of   
the Angels energy attack and Unit One's weight lowered its   
structural integrity to the point that it collapsed during the Angels   
self destruction. Now why did you want to know this?"  
  
Nozomi looked relieved. "One of my classmates was hurt when   
it happened. And she's having a real hard time convincing her   
brother that it wasn't Shinji's fault. Now I can tell her for sure that   
it was an accident"  
  
"Nozomi," Hikari asked cautiously, "what is your friend's   
name?"  
  
"Mari Suzuhara"  
  
That was when Shinji started choking on his drink.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I'm sorry about that," he told Hikari later on that evening.   
Nozomi had been sent to her room, not as punishment but because   
it was past her bedtime, and Misato and Kodama were in the   
kitchen talking about something or other. Once Shinji had cleared   
his throat he and Hikari had retired to the living room, and had   
remained there most of the night.   
  
"Don't be, I didn't even know that Mari was in her class," she   
told him as she shook her head in wonder, " although I shouldn't   
be surprised considering how small ours is."  
  
"I think I saw it coming, but it still took me off guard to actually   
hear it come out like that."  
  
"Well I can see how, the way you carry around guilt. I keep   
telling you that you need to lighten up."  
  
"I believe you, and I do understand, its just that little part of my   
mind that keeps telling me that all this is my fault won't shut up   
sometimes."   
  
"Well we're going to have to gag it or something. You're so   
wound up inside that it's not going to be very long before the same   
thing that happened with the second fight happens again. I'm really   
not very big on the idea of a boy I like having a nervous   
breakdown."  
  
It took Shinji a few moments for what she had just said to sink   
in.   
  
"Hikari?"   
  
"Shinji, if I repeat myself I'm going to start blushing, and if   
those two see _that_ we will never get them out of the room   
again."  
  
"Oh... good point."  
  
"So how do you feel about that?" she asked.  
  
"About what?" Shinji said as he blushed himself. Fortunately   
this was common enough with him to be unremarkable-- definitely   
not something that would attract attention.   
  
"About my liking you," Hikari said nervously.   
  
"I don't know... right now I feel a little scared to be honest. Is   
that normal?"  
  
"I don't know, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit   
nervous myself. Have you ever had a girlfriend?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I've never even been on a date, I don't have the slightest idea   
what to do."  
  
"Well..." Shinji said, an idea coming to mind.  
  
"What?"  
  
"We could try that I suppose."  
  
"You mean a date?"  
  
"Yeah, I think we ought to start there at least."  
  
"Probably a good idea. Think we ought to tell them?" she asked   
as she nodded in the direction of the kitchen.  
  
"I don't think we should, at least not for now. Let's see how the   
date goes first, then we can let them tease us about it. I don't need   
to be any more nervous than I already am."  
  
"I know what you mean Shinji," she paused a moment then   
smiled, "you know? This went better than I thought it would."  
  
"What did?"  
  
"Asking you out like that. I didn't even know if you were   
interested."  
  
"I don't think it would have gotten done if you hadn't. You're a   
lot braver than I am."  
  
"Don't shortchange yourself Shinji; remember what you do out   
there in the Eva. Not many people could stay after what you've   
been through in that thing. You're a lot braver than you think."  
  
They sat there across from one another for awhile longer before   
Misato finally called for Shinji from the kitchen. It was time for   
him to go home.   
  
"Hey, before you go..." Hikari said catching his sleeve.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
She had hugged him once before almost a month ago, just before   
his train had arrived and he had nearly left Tokyo Three. This hug   
was different in a way that was at first just beyond his ability to   
describe. Later on, he would think about that moment and pick   
apart each of the differences he could pin down. It was slightly   
more affectionate for one thing, and for another he managed to   
return it. That he hadn't been an emotional wreck at the time was   
also a factor. There were many more, but the one that stood out the   
most was the smell of her hair, or more specifically the shampoo   
she used. It was something that he would find difficult _not_ to   
think about in the weeks that followed.   
  
She pulled back and they smiled shyly at one another for a   
moment before Misato called again.   
  
"If I wait much longer She's going to either suspect something   
or make something up to suspect." Shinji told her.   
  
"Ok, goodnight Shinji, see you in class."  
  
"Good night Hikari."  
  
  
[]======================[]  
To Be Continued...  
[]======================[]  
  
  
Authors Incoherent Babbling:  
  
Well that's the second draft of part four. I want to thank Sparky   
again for his help. As bad as my grammar is, this would be   
nowhere as good without his help.  
  
Next chapter things are gonna get interesting. That's right, Der   
Redhead arrives. Planning a date is hard enough, planing it around   
tests, school, and keeping it secret from roommates is nigh   
impossible (I just love that word)   
  
  
Out  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  



	6. Book One Part Five

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
Tell me is something eluding you sunshine?  
Is this not what you expected to see?  
If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes?  
You'll just have to claw your way through the  
Disguise  
In the Flesh?  
Pink Floyd, The Wall   
  
  
[]================[]  
Book 1 Part 5   
[]================[]  
  
  
Hikari had been waiting at the docks for   
over an hour now and the fleet was finally   
arriving. She was there to meet her friends who   
had flown out with Misato to meet the pilot of   
Unit Two. She would have gone with them, but   
her sister Nozomi had needed someone to take   
her to the dentist. Wanting to meet the second   
child, and see an Eva up close without a war   
going on, she had opted to meet them at the   
docks.   
  
Making her way down the stairway from the   
observation center, she saw a familiar person   
pull up in a Nerv Jeep. She only knew a few   
people who worked for the organization, and   
only one who dyed their hair blond. That person   
was Misato's friend and coworker Doctor Akagi.   
She had met the woman two or three times, but   
had only caught her name a week or two before   
when she had stopped by to help Shinji with a   
homework assignment.   
  
As she neared the Jeep, she saw the   
largest ship, and aircraft carrier, slowly pull   
up to the dock. She knew from Kensuke that the   
'over the rainbow' was an old ship, but she   
hadn't expected it to be in such bad shape.   
  
A closer look revealed that the damage   
wasn't old, the scratches and torn plates   
revealed fresh metal beneath. Odd that she   
would notice that, perhaps it was Kensuke's   
influence. As the other ships neared the wharf   
she saw that many of them displayed similar   
scars of battle.   
  
Something had happened.  
  
"Good afternoon Miss Horaki," Doctor Akagi   
called cheerfully, "here to meet Shinji and the   
others?"   
  
Hikari breathed a sigh of relief. The   
doctor was rather high up in the Nerv chain of   
command, and if she was unworried then everyone   
must have made it safely.   
  
"Yes, " she said as she walked over to the   
jeep, "I couldn't go with them earlier, and   
from the looks of things I think I'm glad. What   
happened?"  
  
"An Angel attacked the fleet in route,   
fortunately the Second and Third Children were   
able to defeat it in Unit Two."  
  
"Really? I bet Kensuke was happy to see   
that!"  
  
"I imagine he was. Too bad Misato already   
confiscated the disk with the battle. I   
remember how upset he was when we took that one   
after the Fourth Angel."  
  
"Poor Kensuke, well he should know better   
by now... um, Miss Akagi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's the Second Child's name? I want to   
try to make her feel at home."  
  
"That's nice of you Hikari. Her name is   
Asuka Langley Soryu."  
  
"Is that German? It doesn't sound quite   
Japanese."  
  
"Asuka has an unusual heritage.   
Technically she's American, because that's   
where she was born, but speaking in terms of   
genetics she's mostly German with about a   
quarter Japanese blood. She was raised in   
Germany however so its probably best to think   
of her as a native of that country."  
  
"Wow," Hikari said as she took that in.  
  
"I told you it was unusual," she said as   
the gangplank was lowered from the ship, "But   
then again unusual is a term that often comes   
to mind when I think of Asuka."  
  
"Thank you Doctor," Hikari told her with a   
polite nod, "I'll keep that in mind."  
  
"It's not a problem, now go say hi to your   
friends."   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
She saw it coming the moment Kensuke came   
down the escalator with Misato and Touji.   
  
Having known him since first grade,   
Hikari was well aquatinted with his fascination   
with all things military, or perhaps fetish was   
a more accurate term. She was also familiar   
with his tendency to go completely off the   
handle about it. Having apparently just been a   
front row seat witness to an Evangelion Battle,   
it was no surprise to her whatsoever when   
Kensuke Aida began telling her about it at   
approximately a few hundred words a minute.  
  
Later she was able to piece together   
what he had said with the aid of a more   
coherent description from the others.   
Apparently while Asuka had been showing Shinji   
'her' Unit Two, an Angel had indeed attacked   
the fleet. From his description it sounded like   
some bizarre four hundred-foot long cross   
between a shark and a stingray. Shinji and   
Asuka had tried to fight it, but the equipment   
they had wasn't set up for underwater combat.   
Having bitten into the Eva, the Angel was held   
fast by the Umbilical cable and unable to   
escape as long as it held onto Unit Two  
  
Misato had saved the day by putting   
together another seemingly insane, but workable   
plan. They had sunk two of the battle ships in   
line with the Umbilical, and as they reeled the   
angel back in, Unit Two had opened the   
creature's mouth in time for the Battleships to   
slam into it and open fire from within.   
  
As the crews from Nerv arrived and began   
unloading Unit Two from the Carrier, the Second   
Child came down the escalator.   
  
Touji immediately turned away with a look   
of great annoyance as Kensuke filmed her   
descent. Hikari made a note to ask about that   
later, for the moment she stepped forward and   
smiled at the new arrival.  
  
First noticeable thing about the girl   
was, of course, the red hair. The second was   
the uniform she was wearing. It was what Shinji   
had referred to as a Plugsuit, and like the one   
she had seen Shinji wear it was skintight and   
appeared to be some synthetic material. Unlike   
the one Shinji had been wearing it was bright   
red, and Hikari couldn't help but feel a little   
jealous about the girl's figure, which was well   
displayed in it. As she reached the bottom of   
the lift, however, Hikari brushed all this from   
her mind, bowed and began to greet her.  
  
"Hello Miss Soryu, welcome to Japan. My   
name is Hikari Horaki, and-"  
  
"Oh, hello," Asuka interrupted as she   
looked around distractedly, "um, nice to meet   
you... could you give me one moment? Be right   
back." With that the redhead hurried over to   
the jeep.   
  
'Well... she's rude enough to be an   
American,' Hikari thought with more than a bit   
of annoyance. She didn't have long to ponder   
this line of though, however, as Kensuke and   
Touji began shouting and giving wolf whistles   
at a figure descending from the ship. Turning   
to see what had caught their attention, she saw   
Shinji coming down the lift with a deep blush.   
This was mostly due to the fact he was wearing   
an identical Plugsuit to Asuka's.   
  
It was no where near as flattering, but   
Hikari had to agree with her friends-- it was   
one of the funniest things she had seen in a   
long time. Trying not to laugh, and failing   
miserably, she waved hello to Shinji, who   
probably wanted to sink into the concrete about   
that moment.   
  
"Nice figure!" Touji hollered, as   
Kensuke zoomed in his camera. Shinji's face   
approached the color of the Plugsuit while   
Hikari started to get a grip on herself.   
  
"Knock it off you two," she said as she   
reigned in her giggles, "sorry about that   
Shinji."   
  
Shinji shook his head and smiled, letting   
her know it was all right as they headed over   
to the jeep.   
  
"It's ok," he said, " I do look kind of   
ridiculous in this thing."  
  
"No arguments there."  
  
"Shut up Touji or I'll make you trade   
outfits." Hikari shot back with a mischievous   
grin.   
  
"I'll be good."  
  
"That's better, now what happened up there   
and where did your clothes go?"  
  
"Well, Asuka said that my being in the   
entry plug was going to be bad enough, and that   
the suit would smooth the thought noise out a   
bit. So I had to leave my clothes back on the   
ship... they're probably at the bottom of the   
ocean about now."  
  
"Hmmm that's right," Kensuke added,   
"Doctor Akagi said something about 'thought   
noise' when we were in Unit One"  
  
"I don't know how much it helped tough.   
She started the activation in German, and had   
to reset when she found out I didn't know more   
than three words in that language."  
  
"So it even matters what language you   
think in," Kensuke muttered as they reached the   
Jeep, "interesting"  
  
Asuka had apparently found out whatever   
she was trying to learn and walked back over to   
them, "Sorry about that," she said, "I was   
trying to find out what happened to my Sensei."  
  
"He jumped ship like a rat is what   
happened." Touji said under his breath. Sadly   
he once more underestimated just how good the   
female of the species' hearing was, and   
received what Hikari later found to be his   
third slap of the day. Nursing a fresh bruise   
to both his face and ego, he and the other two   
boys climbed into the jeep, giving the girls a   
moment alone.  
  
"Now, once again, sorry about that,"   
Auska said, "My name is Asuka Langley Soryu, I   
think you said yours was Hikari?"  
  
"That's right, Hikari Horaki."  
  
"Well nice to meet you, so are you with   
Nerv too? Or are you just along for the ride   
like them?" she asked nodding in the direction   
of Touji and Kensuke.  
  
'She doesn't waste time does she?' Hikari   
thought as she answered, "No I'm just a friend   
of Shinji's like they are, I thought I'd come   
out and meet you since you wouldn't know anyone   
when you arrived."  
  
"I 'preciate it," Asuka said as she   
tossed a few strands of her hair back over her   
shoulder, "its going to be hard enough getting   
around with the culture shock and all. I gotta   
say though, why you'd hang with those three of   
your own free will is beyond me."   
  
Before Hikari could ask what the problem   
was, Misato hollered over at them announcing   
that it was time to go. Asuka, refusing to sit   
between or beside the boys, stood and held onto   
the roll bar the entire way back.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Tell me your kidding!" Hikari said later   
as the four were relaxing at Misato's   
apartment.   
  
"Afraid not," Kensuke said as he looked   
over the two disks he had been allowed to keep,   
"Touji got an up close and personal look by   
accident."  
  
"Oh great, no wonder she slapped him."  
  
"Well she did it the first time because   
of that, the second time was because he flashed   
her back."  
  
"You did _what_?" Hikari yelled at Touji,   
"I thought you had better manners than that   
Suzuhara!"  
  
"Well excuse me, but _she_ was the one who   
mashed my special hat into the deck! If you   
want to talk about manners you should take it   
up with the demon."  
  
"That's not fair Touji, you take that   
back!  
  
Shinji had been watching all of this with   
a combination of amusement and unease. He had   
only recently become comfortable with joining   
into the groups conversations, but when they   
turned into yelling matches like this he always   
got lost again.   
  
'They really don't have to be so loud,' he   
thought as he wondered what he could do try and   
calm the group down.   
  
Salvation came in the form of a warm   
water penguin named PenPen.   
  
When the small avian waddled into the   
room, Hikari and Touji's yelling match didn't   
so much stop as die a painful death as the two   
stared bug-eyed at the new arrival.  
  
"Um... Shinji?" Hikari started to say as   
Touji finished her question with an equally   
unnerved tone, "what the hell is that?"  
  
"That's PenPen, he's my other roommate."   
Shinji said with a smile. Somewhere along the   
line it had completely slipped his mind to tell   
them about the Penguin.  
  
"Roommate?" the three asked   
simultaneously. The roommate in question   
waddled right up to Hikari and looked her up   
and down before sitting beside her and picking   
up the TV remote. Whatever grip on reality the   
three had lost when a penguin had walked into   
the room slipped dramatically as the little   
bird turned on the TV.   
  
"Shinji..." Kensuke asked as he tried to   
comprehend what had just happened. "Is it   
watching TV?"  
  
"Yes," Shinji said as he tried not to   
laugh at the expressions on his friend faces.   
  
"How?" Touji asked.  
  
"Why?" Hikari added as she stared at the   
bird.   
  
"Well," Shinji said, " he was apparently   
being used in an experiment back when Misato   
was living in Germany. She found out they were   
going to put him to sleep once the experiment   
was over and adopted him. He's pretty smart   
too."  
  
The three of them nodded as they   
continued to stare at PenPen.   
  
PenPen looked up at the humans and said,   
"Wark."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hey Hikari!" Came a cheerful voice from   
across the campus as Hikari walked towards   
class.  
  
Looking toward the sound, she saw Asuka   
jogging towards her waving. Stopping and   
letting the German girl catch up she chuckled a   
bit. Asuka was wearing a uniform and Hikari   
could only imagine how annoyed her friends   
would be to find that she would be in their   
school.   
  
"Morning Asuka, what can I do for you?"   
she asked as the other girl caught up.   
  
"Guten Morgan! I was hoping you could   
show me around?" Asuka asked, "you kinda   
offered the other day."  
  
"That's no problem at all Asuka, and   
welcome to our school. By the way, how did they   
get you transferred so quickly? It took almost   
a week before Shinji started."  
  
"Humph, well I heard he wasn't even found   
till a day before he arrived. _I_ on the other   
hand have been training for almost ten years   
now."  
  
"Oh, well that makes sense I guess, I'll   
probably have the paperwork in my laptop when I   
get to class then."  
  
"Oh that's right, monkey-boy called you   
class rep or something didn't he..."  
  
"Monkey boy?"  
  
"The one in the sweats."  
  
"Oh that's Touji Suzuhara, and I'm sorry   
about what happened when you met. He's usually   
much better behaved than that."  
  
"Its nothing to worry about, typical male   
behavior."  
  
"Well I can't speak for the idiot duo, but   
not _all_ boys are perverts.  
  
"Pffft! Name one!" Asuka said with a roll   
of her blue eyes.  
  
"Well Shinji is very nice."  
  
"_What_?" Asuka said loudly, "He's the   
worst of those Three Stooges! He kept peeking   
on me while I was changing and then he couldn't   
keep his grubby little paws of me in the Eva.   
No Hikari, trust me; all boys are perverts."  
  
Hikari didn't know what to think of that-  
- it just didn't sound like Shinji at all. She   
would have to talk with him about that later.   
For now she needed to change the subject, and   
something Asuka had said gave her a perfect   
idea.  
  
"Three Stooges?" She asked, confused by   
the English term.  
  
"Oh that's right, you Japanese don't   
import much American stuff anymore. It was an   
old black and white show from the mid nineteen   
hundreds about three morons. Mostly slapstick,   
they'd hit each other on the head and have pie   
fights and stuff. I'll see if I can get a tape   
for you sometime, its silly but it has its   
moments."  
  
"I guess... it kind of fits though, and   
since Shinji started hanging around them I   
can't quite keep calling them the idiot duo."  
  
"Trust me it fits better than you   
realize," Asuka said as the two made their way   
up to class.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I feel sorry for Shinji though," Touji   
said as he and his friends sat by the window,   
"he has to work with her... poor guy"  
  
They had been discussing their horrific   
encounter with the Second Child and how   
fortunate they would be that they would never   
have to see her again. Shinji hadn't said much;   
he seemed to be lost in thought as usual.   
Kensuke was still reviewing what little footage   
he had left from their trip.   
  
This was naturally the precise moment   
that the Second Child stepped into the room.   
  
Touji fell out of his desk.  
  
Kensuke dropped his camera.  
  
Shinji sighed; he had expected this.  
  
As she wrote her name on the chalkboard   
the redhead turned around and beamed at the   
class of stunned students. Most of them had   
never met a foreigner, much less as   
devastatingly gorgeous a one as this. A few had   
heard Touji and Kensuke relate their horror   
story from the carrier and cringed in fear at   
the alleged Demon. Some of the girls bristled   
as their boyfriends looked on in awe.   
  
"My name is Asuka Langley Soryu. Charmed,   
huh?"  
  
Hikari walked to her desk with a chuckle,   
things would be getting quite interesting if   
nothing else. As she pointed Asuka to her desk   
she sat down and booted up her computer. Sure   
enough Asuka's file was there. It was quite   
impressive as well-- the girl was a genius!   
  
'Why is she here if she already graduated   
college?' she wondered as she looked though the   
impressive academic history. The only reason   
she could think of was that Nerv might feel   
that she could use a normal childhood while she   
was here. It had certainly done Shinji a lot of   
good.   
  
'Wonder why she hasn't been assigned a   
guardian yet?' Hikari wondered. Then again if   
this was anything like Shinji a lot of stuff   
might be absent from her file. It didn't even   
list a place of residence, which was very   
strange since she needed that to deliver   
paperwork. She would have to ask her about it   
at the first opportunity. For now however the   
teacher was due to arrive and Asuka most likely   
wouldn't be used to her laptop for at least an   
hour or so.  
  
For the moment that was fine, as she   
needed to talk with Shinji. So as the teacher   
began his morning roll call she punched up a   
private message window.  
  
[Hikari] Morning Shinji  
  
[Shinji] Hi Hikari, something I can help   
you with?  
  
[Hikari] yeah, I needed to ask you   
something   
  
[Shinji] sure, what do you need to know?  
  
[Hikari] Asuka said something about you   
peaking on her when she was changing,   
what was that about? I just wanted to   
get your side of it.  
  
[Shinji] oh, that *blush* I was afraid she   
would take that the wrong way. When the   
fight started she dragged me to a stairwell   
and told me to wait there while she went   
inside. After a few moments I got worried   
and took a look to see if she was ok, and   
she was half into her Plugsuit. She yelled   
at me and I ducked back. If Asuka'd just   
told me she was changing there wouldn't have   
been a problem. And then she drags me into   
the Eva-- you remember how little room there   
is on those seats right?  
  
[Hikari] yeah, I remember.  
  
[Shinji] well I had to sit right up there   
because she insisted I pay attention. Then   
she starts complaining every time I so much   
as brush against her. Not one of my better   
moments.  
  
[Hikari] I thought it sounded a little   
unlike you. So while we're on the subject,   
did you know she was going to be in our   
class? You didn't seem as surprised as the   
other two when she walked in.  
  
[Shinji] well I was a bit surprised that   
she got placed here so soon, but not that   
she was actually sent here. They made me   
go despite all the work they have me do so   
it was a safe bet that she would be here   
as well.  
  
[Hikari] good point, well I better start   
taking notes, thanks for clearing that up  
  
[Shinji] I'm glad you asked, I'd hate   
anyone think I did that on purpose.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"He does that _every_ day?" Asuka asked in   
shock.  
  
They were having lunch at the spot Shinji   
had found under one of the trees in the   
courtyard. Hikari had found it to be a much   
more restful place than the classroom, and on   
days that it wasn't raining she had taken to   
eating there. As she and Asuka ate she was   
explaining some of the nuances of their class.   
  
"I'm afraid so, there'll be another one   
just before the last bell," She explained, "it   
usually takes him about a week an a half to   
tell the whole story, then he starts over."  
  
"Mein Gott! How can you stand it? That   
would drive me insane!"  
  
"Well for one thing I let the class use   
the chatroom," Hikari explained, "Sensei is   
very nearsighted and hard of hearing so he   
doesn't really notice."  
  
"Um... are all your laptops set up for   
Kanji only?" Asuka asked a bit hesitantly.  
  
"Yeah, why wouldn't they be?"  
  
"Oh nothing... Just wondering," Asuka said   
as she changed the subject, " so what do you do   
for fun around here?"  
  
"Well I haven't had much free time until   
recently, but we have an entertainment district   
downtown. I'm sure Shinji wouldn't mind showing   
you if I can't find the time."  
  
"I'd rather wait if it's just the same,"   
Asuka said, "I know you say he says it was an   
accident but that's not the point. Besides, if   
I _have_ to go with a guy; I can just ask   
Kaji."  
  
"You mentioned him before, is he you're   
guardian?"  
  
"I wish he was," Asuka said with a   
wistful sigh, "but he travels a whole lot. I   
don't get to see him as much as I wish I   
could."  
  
"So who are you living with?"  
  
"Ooh," Asuka said with disgust, " they   
have me stuffed in this little one room cell   
down at the Geofront. They say its just   
temporary, but if I don't get better   
accommodations I'm going to have to show them   
just how obnoxious I'm capable of being."  
  
"Then you're not living with anyone at   
all?"  
  
"No, why would I be?"  
  
"But you're only 13!"  
  
"I've been living alone since I was nine   
Hikari, its no big deal."  
  
"What about your family?"  
  
Asuka's face seemed to cloud over, and she   
looked away. "I'd rather not discuss them if   
it's all the same to you."  
  
'Rei... Shinji... and now Asuka... don't   
any of the pilots have a normal family?' Hikari   
thought as she changed subjects to something   
more lighthearted.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"So what do you think of her?" Hikari   
asked Shinji as they walked home that   
afternoon.  
  
"She seems... lively" Shinji replied.  
  
"Define 'lively' Mr. I-think-I'm-going-to-  
dodge-the-question" Hikari shot back with a   
grin.   
  
"Um... well she seems so loud and brash,   
like she has to have everyone's attention.   
She's energetic, and I can't deny she's pretty.   
I think Kensuke said something about developing   
some still shots he took of her today."  
  
"Oh no... not this _again_" Hikari said   
as she closed her eyes and let out an annoyed   
groan.  
  
"Not what again?" Shinji asked a bit   
concerned.  
  
"Well, we got a new girl earlier this year   
and Kensuke was taking pictures and selling   
them to the other boys. He and Touji made quite   
a bit before I busted up their little racket."  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"I hope Asuka doesn't hear about it...   
she might hurt them for that."  
  
Hikari grinned as she contemplated   
telling the German about it herself. Deciding   
_against_ being an accomplice to murder, she   
dropped the idea.  
  
"So have you decided what we're going to   
do on our date yet?" she asked  
  
"Well I have a few ideas, but I don't know   
how far ahead I can plan anything... after all   
we did agree that this should be more than just   
a trip to the movies."  
  
"I might have an idea if you don't mind   
waiting a while." She said with a smile.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well if you can't make the school trip   
like we figured, the school is having a dance   
at the end of October... we could try for that.   
It would give you time to clear your schedule."  
  
"That would be fun, but aren't we still   
trying to keep this a secret from the evil   
twins?"  
  
"Well I think that by then we should be   
able to deal with the teasing," Hikari said, "   
I mean, we can't avoid if forever and its not   
like they don't suspect something already."  
  
"Good point, I think if I tell Ritsuko she   
might be able to help, she won't mind keeping   
it from Misato."  
  
"That leaves my sister, I think I can   
handle her... well I hope I can anyway."  
  
"They are a little easier to deal with   
one on one" Shinji said with a grin.  
  
"Emphasis on 'little'" Hikari said with a   
giggle.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Where did you get that?" Hikari asked   
Denki a couple of days later. She had caught   
him looking at a picture of Asuka drinking from   
a water fountain, and she had more than a hunch   
who'd taken said picture.   
  
"Um... well I um... Icanttellyouthat," he   
said quickly as he looked down at his shoes.   
  
"Denki, I know who took the picture," She   
said, trying very hard to keep her patience,   
"and I would like to remind you that I already   
busted up this little racket twice. And I might   
add that what I have planned for those two is   
probably nowhere near as violent as what Asuka   
will do to anyone she catches with those   
pictures on their person..."  
  
This was a perfect threat, made effective   
by an incident the previous day. Kiri had tried   
to ask Asuka out, and had been shut down hard.   
Apparently the fact that he was two years older   
than anyone else in the class did not impress   
Asuka in the least. Then again it probably had   
more to do with his trying to put an arm around   
her that had triggered the now famous incident.   
Asuka's face had darkened when the arm was   
placed upon her, and seconds later Kiri had   
discovered just how much hand to hand combat a   
fully trained Evangelion Pilot was taught. The   
morning Email had included an update on his   
condition, and fortunately he had not required   
a cast or any stitches.  
  
Strangely enough this had not dissuaded   
any of the other boys from clogging the poor   
girl's locker with love letters. Asuka had   
explained to her at lunch that day just how   
annoyed she was by the behavior of the boys in   
words that Hikari had not even known existed.   
It was fascinating just how much dirtier some   
words sounded in German than they did in   
Japanese.   
  
Right now however she needed to find   
Kensuke and Touji before Asuka found out about   
their little project.   
  
"Come on Denki, you know I won't do much   
more than assign extra work to the blockheads,   
where are they hiding?"  
  
"Okay, okay, they're over by the   
escalators."  
  
"Thanks, and if I were you, I'd hide that   
photo."  
  
"Oh... thanks."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Guten Morgen Shinji!"  
  
Shinji turned to find the girl his   
friends had taken to calling 'the red demon'   
heading his way. He was still unsure just what   
to make of Asuka; she definitely had talent for   
Eva, and sadly made a habit to insure everyone   
around her knew that. What mostly bothered him   
though was that she seemed to have taken a   
dislike for him… which made her cheerful   
demeanor at the moment more than a bit   
suspicious.   
  
"Gut... guten morgun" he tried, sadly   
butchering the greeting. He didn't know how   
anyone could speak German; it sounded so harsh   
and cold. Not to mention that it was almost   
noon and he didn't know why she was saying good   
morning anyway  
  
Asuka on the other hand had mastered it at   
a young age, as she had her Japanese. Walking   
up next to him she rolled her eyes at his   
pathetic attempt at linguistics.  
  
"Hey, why are you so gloomy?" she demanded   
as she thumped him on the nose, "after all I'm   
the most popular girl at school as well as the   
best pilot Nerv has, you should enjoy the fact   
I even allow you near me."  
  
'Does she _have_ to brag about it all the   
time?' he wondered silently as she paused and   
looked around.  
  
"Hmm isn't the other one here too? I   
didn't think to ask before."  
  
"Other what?" He asked as he rubbed his   
nose.  
  
"What, are you stupid? The other _pilot_ of   
course! Doesn't she go to this school too?"  
  
Shinji looked around, trying to remember   
where Rei usually took her lunch. Remembering   
that Hikari had once found her at the base of   
the escalators once he nodded in their   
direction, and was just in time to see Touji   
and Kensuke rapidly gathering several plastic   
sleeves with something he couldn't make out   
inside.   
  
He dropped that from his mind, however, as   
Asuka headed over to the escalators and the   
rest of the entire class seemed to appear out   
of nowhere to see what was going on. (He would   
find out much later that the class had been   
under the impression that Asuka had stumbled   
onto Kensuke's photo racket) as she headed down   
the moving steps, he joined his friends and the   
three watched as the Redhead closed in on the   
Albino.   
  
From their vantage point, they could just   
barely hear the Asuka's side of the   
'conversation'. Later the entire school would   
be repeating it in its entirety.  
  
Standing on one of the stone pillars   
beside the bench where Ayanami sat, Asuka had   
blocked the light Rei was using to read. When   
she finally had the girl's attention she   
smiled.  
  
"You're Rei Ayanami right?" she asked   
loudly, " Pilot of the prototype? I'm Asuka   
Langely Soryu; designated pilot of Evangelion   
Unit Two. Lets be good friends!"  
  
"Why?" Rei asked simply.  
  
To her credit, this didn't throw Asuka   
off track-- as it had most people. With a bold   
smile and a wave of her hand she had replied.  
  
"Because it would be... convenient!"  
  
"If I am ordered to, I will do it."  
  
" Freak _a_ ziod..." Asuka muttered as   
Rei returned to her book. Jumping off the   
pillar, Asuka wandered off; more than a little   
creeped out by Rei Ayanami.   
  
"Hey Shinji?" Touji asked, " how come they   
only select weirdoes as pilots?"  
  
Shinji had been about to tell his friend   
to be quiet when Hikari had arrived. Kensuke   
began sweating as soon as he saw her, and when   
Touji turned he let out a very small yelp that   
was apparently a expression of great fear   
(although he would deny that for a long time)  
  
To Shinji's shock and amusement, Hikari   
had begin chewing the two out for their little   
business. Then she proceeded to assign them   
chores that Shinji hadn't known the school even   
had.   
  
Latter on as the two walked home from   
school, he asked about that.  
  
"Oh, I had a talk with my sister, she   
knows all kinds of evil little punishments that   
I have the authority to dole out."  
  
"I hope I never have to find out,"   
Shinji said nervously  
  
"Oh don't worry, I'll only save those for   
special occasions. Like what I did with the   
other two stooges."  
  
"Stooges?" Shinji asked, as confused, as   
Hikari had been when she heard the term  
  
"Yeah, Asuka started it and I already   
heard a couple of the other kids call you Touji   
and Kensuke that, apparently the 'idiot duo'   
has officially become 'the three stooges''   
  
"I doubt this is something I should be   
thanking her for," Shinji muttered.  
  
"Oh its okay, kinda cute actually."   
  
"Well this is where we split, I'll see you   
tomorrow?"  
  
"Assuming there are no attacks," Hikari   
said jokingly. She would regret saying that a   
few hours later.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As the powerful fighter planes carried   
Eva Units One and Two, Shinji and Asuka were   
briefed on the current state of the situation   
by Misato.  
  
"Since the interception system was   
heavily damaged in the previous battle, only   
26% has been restored. The amount of operable   
equipment in an actual battle is almost nil, so   
we must destroy the target before it lands on   
the waterfront. Unit One and Unit Two, close in   
and take turns!"  
  
"Roger!" both Pilots responded completely   
business-like. However as Asuka switched to   
private communications, she let Shinji know   
that she was far less than satisfied with the   
orders they had just received.   
  
"And another thing!" She said, continuing   
the rant that had been going on most of their   
trip, "this is my debut fight over Japan, why   
wont she let me tackle this dumb thing on my   
own?"  
  
"Its just procedure Asuka" Shinji told her   
for the tenth time.   
  
"Whatever, you had just better stay out   
of my way Third Child!"  
  
Shinji shrugged and switched off again.   
He didn't need to hear her complaining the   
entire time if they were about to face an   
angel. It was hard enough to be back in the   
Eva, dealing with that and the increasingly   
obnoxious Second Child would be a task he   
doubted he was up to.   
  
As they deployed and fell to earth he   
reopened communications and prepared to battle   
the enemy again. He could see it in the   
distance, a hunched shape that was slowly   
making its way toward shore.   
  
He could still hear Asuka complaining as   
the Umbilical cables were attached.   
  
"Two of us against this puny thing? This is   
pathetic, I should be allowed to take it   
myself."  
  
"We don't have the resources to waste while   
you show off Asuka," Misato replied hotly,   
"just get in there and take it out."  
  
"Here it comes," Shinji said as the shape   
under the water grew closer.  
  
As Misato gave the order, Asuka launched   
her Eva into a run toward the ocean, her   
progressive spear at ready.   
  
"Cover me third child, I'm going in!"  
  
"_What_?" Shinji shouted as Unit Two leapt   
over a building  
  
"Yeah, its ladies first!"  
  
"Don't talk to me like that you damn   
rookie!" Shinji shouted as he opened fire with   
the palette rifle. Asuka jumped high into the   
sky as the slugs from his weapon ricochet   
around. Bringing the spear down in an arc, she   
struck the Angel dead on and to everyone's   
surprise, split it in half.  
  
As she surveyed the damage, Shinji   
couldn't help but be impressed, that had been   
the shortest fight yet.   
  
"A fight," She explained as her Eva turned   
to face him, "should be clean and elegant,   
totally without waste."  
  
"Oh my God..." Shinji said as he looked   
beyond her. The angel's body was moving.  
  
As Misato screamed at them to move, the remains   
of the Angel suddenly fell away revealing two   
smaller versions of itself who rushed in and   
struck the Eva's before their pilots could   
register what was happening.   
  
Being farther away, Shinji had the split   
second he needed to react.   
  
Bringing his pallet rifle to bear he opened   
fire as he leapt back. The angel was faster,   
however, and before he could blink it was upon   
him. He realized as he tried to weave out of   
the way of the Angels attack that it was   
undamaged.  
  
"Misato!" he shouted, "I can't scratch it!"  
  
Behind him, Asuka had apparently scored a   
direct hit only to discover the same. As she   
pulled the progressive spear from the Angel's   
core, the wound closed as if it had never been   
made. The two Angels were almost eight times   
faster than they had been as one, and their   
attacks were with such force and precision that   
neither pilot could react in time.  
  
Shinji didn't have time to registered that,   
however, as the Angel stepped on his umbilical-  
-slicing it open with it's razor sharp feet. As   
Shinji ducked and dodged as best as he could,   
the Angel continued it's relentless attack.   
Suddenly, Shinji suddenly found his Eva lofted   
into the air and sailing through it.  
  
He impacted against something, and as he   
crashed to earth, his power readings hit zero.   
The last thing he heard before the power shut   
down was Asuka's furious cursing.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hey class rep!" Touji called as he   
stepped out of the elevator at the apartment   
complex that Shinji shared with Misato, "what   
are you doing here?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you,"   
she told him and Kensuke a little nervously. In   
truth she was more than a little nervous. That   
morning she had received and update for Asuka's   
file and unless there was some mistake... well   
she didn't really want to think about it.  
  
"Well I'll assume it's the same reason   
we're here," Kensuke said, "have _you_ heard   
from Shinji since the attack?"  
  
"No, but that's just part of why I'm   
here..." Hikari looked away, and Kensuke   
wondered if something was wrong  
  
"Ok, well how about the demon, have you   
heard from her?" Touji asked  
  
'Is it me or is Hikari blushing?' Kensuke   
wondered. Of all the times to be without his   
camera...  
  
As they made their way to Shinji's place   
Hikari seemed to grow even less at ease, and   
Kensuke was beginning to worry. Something was   
on her mind, and whatever it was, it was not a   
good thing. Obviously it had something to do   
with Shinji, it was clear that something was   
brewing between the two. And they continued to   
make it even more obvious with their constant   
and passionate denials that anything was going   
on.  
  
Now, to do some detective work.   
Something was going on between Shinji and   
Hikari. She was here and apparently worried   
about him, so hypothesis A; he had been hurt in   
the fight. However had that been the case she   
would have said something by now to at least   
lesson the blow when they reached the door.   
  
All right then, other clues included a very   
nervous reaction when he had mentioned Asuka.   
Shinji worked with Asuka, and despite her   
annoying personality, she was a major babe. So   
hypothesis B... Shinji and Asuka were hooking   
up?  
  
As if.  
  
He decided he simply didn't have enough   
data to work with, and brushed the speculating   
from his mind as they reached the door.   
Pressing the buzzer they stepped back and were   
soon greeted to a sight that would produce   
nightmares for months.  
  
"They're dressing alike _again_!" Was all   
Kensuke could think or say; and indeed Shinji   
and Asuka were wearing almost identical   
outfits. Black workout suits and a colored top,   
Shinji's blue and Asuka's pink. Additionally   
they were both wearing headphones, and had they   
not looked miserable about it; Kensuke would   
have thought it a betrayal of all the three   
held sacred.   
  
Touji apparently had not noticed the fact   
that neither looked like they were enjoying   
their new attire, as he immediately shouted   
"Shinji! You've betrayed us!"  
  
There was a thump beside him and as   
Kensuke turned, he found Hikari had fainted.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Okay, explain this to me again?" Hikari   
asked Misato a short time after she woke up.  
  
"It's simple really. If we can't get these   
two to work in total unison, then we have no   
chance of defeating the Angel. A coordinated   
two-point attack on each half is the only way   
we can beat it. So we're training Shinji and   
Asuka to work in tandem... I just wish we had   
more than four days left."  
  
"But do they have to _live_ together   
too?" Hikari asked with obvious unease at the   
concept. In fact, had Misato possessed the   
ability to read minds she would have found a   
powerful streak of jealously had taken root in   
the young girl's thoughts. Misato did not   
posses such abilities, but she did know Hikari   
better than the girl thought she did.  
  
"Don't worry Hikari, I'm here constantly   
to chaperone. Nothing's going to happen."  
  
"But... it's still not right for a boy and   
girl to live together like this," Hikari said,   
pouting a little.  
  
"Look Hikari," Misato said in a comforting   
tone, "I know you don't like this, but we don't   
have a choice if we're going to defeat the   
angel. It will have regenerated in three days   
and we _must_ be prepared to defeat it."  
  
She would have said more, but at that   
moment the doorbell rang again. Getting up to   
answer it the two women walked to the door and   
were surprised to find Rei Ayanami standing   
there. Rei was almost equally surprised   
herself, she had come to Misato's home after   
trying Hikari's. To find both of the people she   
was seeking out in the same place was an odd   
coincidence.   
  
"Good afternoon Captain Katsuragi, Miss   
Horaki," she said as the two women regained   
their composure, "I would like to speak with   
you please."  
  
Still shocked that Rei had arrived   
unannounced like this, Misato could only nod as   
the girl stepped in and removed her shoes. The   
three of them made their way to the living   
room, where Shinji and Asuka were still   
practicing their synch training. As Kensuke and   
Touji watched on with much amusement, Shinji   
tried to keep up with the rapidly changing   
colors on the pad he stood upon. There were   
several red circles in rows and as they changed   
he had to follow the pattern and step or place   
a hand on them accordingly. Next to him Asuka   
went through the patterns over and over again,   
setting the pace.   
  
As Hikari, Rei, and Misato sat down,   
Shinji slipped and fell for the third time in   
the last hour. Asuka turned and angrily cursed   
him out in German as he got back up and they   
started over.  
  
"So how _are_ their synchronization drills   
coming?" Hikari asked as she picked up PenPen,   
who had waddled over to her again wanting   
attention. He had taken a liking to her almost   
immediately.   
  
"Well, see for yourself," Misato said with   
a sigh as Shinji fell yet again.   
  
"I can't believe you think I could   
possibly bring myself down to this bumbling   
oaf's performance levels!" Asuka shouted as she   
threw her headphones across the room,   
"obviously he could never bring himself up to   
match _my_ talents, but still, this is   
impossible!"  
  
"Then you're giving up?" Misato asked with   
a cryptic smile.  
  
"Well, its not like you have anyone else,"   
Asuka said as she tossed her hair over her   
shoulder again.   
  
Misato's smile became a grin as she turned   
to Rei Ayanami who was sitting beside her.  
  
"Rei?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why don't you give it a shot?"  
  
"Yes," the albino girl said as she stepped   
over to the electronic training pads. Shinji   
took his position, and as he began going   
through the patterns, Rei matched him move for   
move in perfect harmony. The rest of the room,   
save Asuka watched this in something resembling   
awe. As Hikari looked over at Asuka, she saw   
that the girl looked like she had taken a kick   
to the gut.   
  
"Hmmm, " Misato said, "Maybe we should   
alter the operation parameters for Rei..."  
  
However, instead of the eruption that   
Hikari expected, Asuka turned and ran from the   
room, slamming the door on the way out.   
  
"I didn't know demons could cry..." Touji   
muttered as Hikari stood up. She ignored this   
and turned to Shinji who was looking around   
trying to figure out what had just happened.   
  
"Shinji," She said as she headed out the   
door, " don't just stand there, lets go!"   
  
He nodded and they both headed after   
Asuka.  
  
"So, you wanted to talk about something   
Rei?" Misato asked as she popped open a beer.  
  
About thirty seconds later, she decided   
she'd better make that a six-pack.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I know," Asuka said as the two approached   
her in the convenience store, "I know I have to   
pilot it, I'll do it." They paid for drinks in   
silence and headed back home.  
  
"I'll work harder Asuka," Shinji told her   
as the three made their way back to the   
apartment, "I'm sorry for screwing up."  
  
"Well its not like I can expect someone   
like you to match my grace and form in a measly   
three days."  
  
Shinji frowned and took a few paces faster   
to leave the two girls alone for a moment as   
Hikari had asked him to on the way down.   
  
"Maybe you two should just select a slower   
pace and stick with it. I mean trying to lead   
one another like that wasn't working... how   
about you get Kensuke to tape Misato or you   
doing the proper pattern and watch it on the TV   
as you go. You could use that to set your   
pace."  
  
"Hmmm that might just work Hikari..."   
Asuka said thoughtfully, "we might make faster   
progress like that. I know this slug can't keep   
up with me as things are."  
  
"Leave Shinji alone, he hasn't had the   
training you have."  
  
"I'll admit you have a point, but why are   
you defending him?"  
  
"Um... well... " Hikari said as she tried   
to think of something, "someone has to, he   
isn't really the type to say anything back."  
  
"There is that..."  
  
"Never mind, " Hikari said, "Just try to   
go easy on him."  
  
"If he actually makes an effort to keep   
up, I'll try."  
  
Well, it was better than nothing Hikari   
figured as they reentered the apartment. They   
arrived to find Touji and Kensuke in a state of   
shock and Misato on her ninth beer. Rei was   
siting in the middle of this with a thoughtful   
expression on her face.  
  
"I see," Rei said, "so because he wishes   
to respect a females privacy, but at the same   
time seeks to view the female form, he feels   
torn between the two desires."  
  
"Um... Misato?" Asuka asked with total   
confusion, "what are you talking about?"  
  
Rei turned to her and answered for the   
intoxicated Captain.   
  
"Captain Katsuragi was assisting me in   
understanding why Pilot Ikari felt disturbed   
over seeing me without clothing."  
  
Asuka's eyes narrowed and as she turned to   
injure her fellow pilot, she found the spot   
Shinji had occupied moments before was now   
vacant. Towards the front of the house the door   
slammed, Shinji smartly having decided it was   
time that he be somewhere else.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"So how are you feeling?" Hikari asked   
Shinji over the phone a couple of nights later.  
  
"A little nervous, the fight is tomorrow   
and I think we're ready, but I'm still jumpy."  
  
"Just remember its natural to be   
frightened. My Uncle told us that some of the   
bravest men he had ever met in battle actually   
broke down in tears before a fight sometimes."  
  
"I'll try to remember that."  
  
"You're going to do fine Shinji-- just   
concentrate on the moves and the music. Asuka   
doesn't seem to be worried at all."  
  
"I think that's because Mr. Kaji came up   
with the plan."  
  
"That's the guy she has the crush on   
right?"  
  
"I think so, I've only met him the once."  
  
"Well just trust in Misato, from what I   
heard you tell me she's a tactical genius."   
  
"I do trust her, its _me_ I don't trust.   
What if I screw up?"  
  
"Shinji, you've been training hard all   
week, you're not going to screw up."  
  
"I'll try Hikari... and thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For believing in me like this."  
  
"You've saved my life three times already   
Shinji, every time you fight you save us all.   
Remember that there are a lot of us who believe   
in you."  
  
"I better go, Asuka's almost done with her   
shower," Shinji said, "I'll try to call you as   
soon as I can. Goodnight Hikari."  
  
"Good night Shinji... and good luck."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Once they had been released from the   
shelters, Hikari couldn't wait to congratulate   
her friends on their victory. The Misato called   
to tell her they were home she hurried over.  
  
However, when she stopped by the Katsuragi   
home she was in for a bit of a shock.   
  
"Then you're going to be staying here   
_permanently_?" Hikari asked as she blinked in   
surprise.  
  
"Not my idea, I assure you," Asuka said   
from her spot in front of the TV.  
  
Not wanting to even think about that for   
the moment, Hikari changed tracks and asked how   
the battle went.  
  
"Oh we pulled it of almost flawlessly."   
Asuka said proudly, "even I was impressed with   
idiot boy over here... he managed to keep time   
perfectly right up till the end. If he hadn't   
screwed up the dismount I'd give him a 9.95"   
  
"That's wonderful!" Hikari said, as Shinji   
frowned and tried to decide if that had been a   
cheep shot or not, "I'm glad all that training   
worked out."  
  
"Of course it worked, Kaji came up with   
it," Asuka said, "he's taking me out shopping   
in a week or two to celebrate the victory"  
  
Shinji stood up for a moment and went to   
his room. When he returned he had his SDAT and   
headphones. As Hikari wondered what he was   
doing (and Asuka ignored him) he ran through   
the tracks till he found what he was looking   
for. Placing a finger up to his lips, he handed   
the headphones to Hikari.   
  
As she put them on and he pressed a   
switch, a foreign song began to play. It took   
her a while to translate the lyrics. Her   
English was spotty at best, and it wasn't until   
the third verse that she managed to place the   
song.   
  
Once she understood the words, she turned   
to Shinji with a bemused smile and saw him   
grinning. As the music played, they both began   
to laugh. Hearing the snickering behind her,   
Asuka turned to see what was going on.  
  
"What's so funny back there?" she   
demanded.  
  
The response was more laughter, and after   
a moment she just rolled her eyes and ignored   
the two as the music played on.   
  
o/~ don't stand, o/~  
o/~ don't stand so, o/~  
o/~ don't stand so close to me, o/~  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"She wouldn't even give my room back..."   
Shinji muttered as he walked Hikari to her   
house. She reached over and gave him a friendly   
hug. She was nowhere near happy about the   
situation herself. It had been bad enough when   
they were training together... she knew she was   
jealous of the fact that Asuka would be   
spending so much time with him.   
  
"At least you _do_ have a room," Hikari   
said," it could have been worse. I do agree   
though, this just isn't fair! How can they make   
you live with her after all this?"  
  
"They don't want us to lose whatever   
teamwork we gained from the synch training...   
that and Misato decided that Asuka shouldn't   
live alone."  
  
"It's still not fair..."  
  
"It'll be okay Hikari, don't worry."  
  
"No its _not_ okay Shinji!" she told him   
hotly, causing him to pause for a moment.  
  
"Hikari... are you jealous?" he asked   
carefully.  
  
"Is it _that_ obvious?" she replied sadly   
as she examined her shoes, "I tried not to be,   
I know it's a work thing... but I can't help   
it."   
  
"Hikari... I don't think anyone but   
possibly Misato is happy about the arrangement   
at the moment. I understand why your worried,   
but something happened last night that I think   
you might want to know about."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Well it was after I let you go and turned   
in for the night. Misato had to stay at the   
Geofront while they finished sequence   
programming the Evas for the fight. Asuka was   
sleeping in her room and somewhere around   
midnight I heard the door open and shut. I   
figured she was going to the restroom ,so I   
closed my eyes and tried to get back to sleep.   
A few moments later there is this thump right   
next to me and there she is, on the futon."  
  
"_What_? Hikari shouted, she couldn't   
believe what she was hearing!  
  
"Hear me out," Shinji interjected before a   
rant could begin, "I freaked for a moment,   
mostly because her face was even with mine and   
all I could see at the moment were her lips.   
I... well I... I thought about kissing her, but   
as I was thinking of doing that I realized   
something."  
  
"What's that?" Hikari asked; a little hurt   
and confused by what she was hearing.  
  
"She's not the one I want to kiss." He   
said with a smile, "I spent the rest of night   
on the other end of the room. I don't deny that   
Asuka's pretty Hikari, but she's not the one   
I'm interested in; you are."  
  
Hikari heard this, and her pulse   
quickened. She stopped walking and stood there   
for a moment, letting it sink in as Shinji   
stood beside her looking nervous. She felt a   
bit light headed... had he just said he wanted   
to kiss her?  
  
"I don't know what to say..." She   
whispered.  
  
"Neither do I," Shinji said, "this is all   
so completely new to me. I keep having to   
convince myself I'm, not imagining all of it. I   
want you to know though, I'm not interested in   
Asuka, and nothing is going to happen there."  
  
"I feel bad about it anyway, I mean, here   
I am; probably her only friend in the whole   
country and I'm getting jealous. It isn't the   
way a friend should act."   
  
"I think Asuka might need friends more   
than I did," Shinji said, " I don't really know   
her, even after all that training. She talks   
non stop, but doesn't seem to _say_ anything."  
  
"Could you vague that up for me?" Hikari   
asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"It's hard to put into words... she can   
talk about herself for an hour, and still you   
won't learn a thing about her. I don't know   
anything about her parents, her friends, or   
anything else from her life. But then again   
that might just be because after five minutes   
or so I start to tune her out"  
  
"No, I think it makes sense... I asked   
about her family once and she all but bit my   
head off."  
  
As they walked through the quiet streets,   
Hikari reached out and took Shinji's hand. They   
walked the rest of the way in silence, thinking   
about what they had said. If he was as   
committed to her as he had implied, then there   
was no real reason that she should worry, but   
the fact that Asuka was living under the same   
roof still bothered her.   
  
The following week she would be over a lot   
to help him catch up with his studies, and it   
would be interesting to see what Asuka would   
make of that. She had seen friends try to keep   
relationships secret before, and she had no   
illusions that she and Shinji would be able to   
fool Misato or Kodama forever, or even that   
they had so far. It was probably about time   
that they went ahead and just told everyone.  
  
This was still on her mind as they reached   
her house.   
  
"Thanks for walking me home Shinji," she   
told him with a smile.  
  
"It was nothing," he replied, "I was glad   
you stopped by."  
  
"Well before I go in there is one more   
thing I need to talk to you about."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
She looked around for a moment and   
gestured for him to lean in so she could   
whisper it in his ear. Intrigued by whatever   
might be so delicate a topic she didn't want to   
say it aloud, he complied.   
  
As she told him what was on her mind, a   
warm blush took hold of his face, and his ears   
felt like they were on fire, but as he leaned   
back he nodded in agreement. Indeed he figured   
he would have to be a lunatic _not_ to agree.   
They stood there for another moment, each   
trying to gather the necessary courage before   
finally Shinji took a step forward.   
  
Both blushing, they leaned in and their   
lips met.   
  
It was not a passionate kiss in the   
traditional sense. It was a bit clumsy, their   
lips remained closed and it only lasted a few   
short moments, but to them it was like an   
electric charge had gone off between them. The   
rest of the world seemed to fade away for a   
short moment and there was nothing but the two   
of them.   
  
When they parted and opened their eyes   
they could only stare at one another with an   
identical loopy grin plastered on their face   
for awhile. Finally Hikari realized how late it   
was and broke the moment.  
  
"I better go in..."  
  
"Oh..." Shinji said, his mind still not   
working at full capacity.   
  
"Thank you Shinji... good night." She said   
with a small sweet smile and she opened the   
door and stepped inside.  
  
"Good night Hikari," Shinji told her as   
she shut the door. He stood there on the patio   
for a few moments, trying to convince the   
little voice in the back of his mind that he   
hadn't dreamt the last few minutes. Finally,   
with several warm and fuzzy feelings running   
though him, he turned and headed home.   
  
  
[]===================[]  
To Be Continued…  
[]===================[]  
  
  
Authors Incoherent Babbling  
  
  
A quick word of defense to all you Asuka   
fans before you launch the mailbombs; this is   
_not_ a Shinji / Asuka fic! With her closer   
relationship to Shinji, Hikari will naturally   
take much more offense to Der redhead's   
treatment of her hunny. She will still be the   
girl's friend, but she will see her a bit   
differently than in the show. I want to warn   
Asuka fans _now_ that our favorite German gal   
is gonna be in for a rough trip. While it won't   
necessarily be much worse than what she   
experienced in the original timeline, it will   
still be a rough read for an Asuka fan. (Also;   
keep in mind I'm a registered member of the   
Asuka Fans United-- I'm not doing any of this   
out of spite)  
  
Oh, about the age thing, well Asuka was   
born on December 4 2001, and since she arrives   
early in September 2015 (rough estimate based   
on synch training schedule) that would put her   
at 13 until December 4 2015. According to the   
calendar, it was still September during the   
training incidentally.  
  
About that bit with the Police song, I was   
driving around awhile back when that song came   
on the radio. Now, in the literal translation   
scripts, Asuka refers to Kaji as 'Sensei'. The   
connection was made and I couldn't stop   
laughing for at least fifteen minutes.   
  
Next chapter we're going to finally have   
another Angel fight in the story, I plan on   
doing the entire Eighth Angel from Shinji POV.   
Be interesting to see how that comes out. More   
Rei and more of Hikari's sisters' next chapter   
as well, gotta keep it moving while Hikari's in   
Okinawa. Also; Kensuke's mysterious friend on   
the Internet... ^_^  
  
Well that's all I got at the moment   
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  
  
  
  



	7. Book One Part Six

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand  
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
Don't be surprised, when a crack in the ice  
Appears under your feet  
The Thin Ice  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
  
[]===============[]  
Book 1 Part 6  
[]===============[]  
  
  
Asuka was in high spirits when she   
returned to the apartment. She still couldn't   
really think of the place as 'home', in fact,   
she hadn't thought of anywhere as being home   
since she was a child. It was simply a place   
where she dwelled until the morons at Nerv   
realized that she was fully capable of living   
on her own. On the upside it was much nicer   
than the disgusting cell that they had shoved   
her in at first. She pitied any other new   
pilots who arrived; that was no way for the   
saviors of Mankind to be treated.   
  
The Katsuragi residence was small, but it   
was nice by Japanese standards. As compact as   
it was, even she had to admit that the place   
was well planned out. When she had first seen   
the room she was using she hadn't believed that   
she could possibly fit even half her stuff in   
it. After a closer inspection she discovered   
how well managed the space was, and she had   
only ended up sending about a quarter of her   
belongings to storage.   
  
Despite that, and fact that couches   
seemed to be non existent in Japan, she liked   
the place. It had a great view of the city from   
the patio that was right outside her door. Her   
only real complaints were her roommates. Misato   
wasn't so bad, if she would try to find a   
decent brand of beer Asuka thought that she   
might be able to put up with the woman. Whoever   
had hooked the poor lady on that disgusting   
Russian brew should be shot. Sooner or later   
she would have to get Misato some _real_ beer   
so she wouldn't have to smell the stuff   
anymore.   
  
Her other roommate... was a bit more   
annoying. How Shinji Ikari had lasted this long   
was a mystery to her; the boy was hardly pilot   
material. He was a fluke, he _had_ to be! There   
was no way that someone as pathetic as that boy   
having such a high synch ratio was natural. She   
and Ayanami had worked for months and months to   
get their ratios high enough for activation, to   
synch on the first try...  
  
'It has to be a fluke,' she thought as   
she removed her shoes, 'no way they _picked_   
him for this.'  
  
Back in Germany, she had heard rumors   
that he had even run _away_! What kind of loopy   
selection process would pick someone who didn't   
even want to be there? Well at least they had   
her. She would show all of them just what a   
_real_ Evangelion Pilot was capable of, and   
after over eight years of training she was more   
than ready to do just that.   
  
At the moment however, she had better   
things to think about. Her shopping trip had   
been heavenly! Spending the whole day with Kaji   
had been wonderful, and she couldn't wait till   
the next time. He was so handsome and charming,   
completely unlike the disgusting boys at   
collage. If he didn't insist on pursuing that   
ridiculous obsession with Misato he would be   
perfect. She would have to remember to tell him   
so on their next date.  
  
That, of course, would have to wait until   
after she got back from the class trip.   
  
This was the other thing that had her in   
such a good mood. She hadn't had a chance to go   
scuba diving since the last stages of her pilot   
training had begun two years previous, and she   
missed it. Okinawa was supposed to be a nice   
town in the first place, and with the high   
ocean levels since Second Impact, there would   
be many submerged buildings for her to explore   
under the sea.   
  
As she made the turn from the hall to the   
kitchen however, something told her that there   
was about to be some bad news. Misato was   
sitting at the table with a beer in front of   
her, but instead of being half-empty; the can   
was unopened. She had only seen Misato do this   
once before, and that had been when she was   
instructing Shinji and herself on their synch   
training. Also, Shinji was sitting at the table   
listening idly to one of his tapes on SDAT.  
  
So the obvious conclusion of this was   
that Misato Katsuragi was about to get serious   
on her. For Misato to do this at home was a   
rare occurrence. At work the woman was amazing,   
juggling task after task and still keeping up   
with whatever the Angels threw at them. At   
home... at home she reminded Asuka of some of   
the frat boys back at collage.   
  
Sure enough Misato gestured for her to   
sit down, and what she had to say was more than   
enough to ruin Asuka's mood.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"What do you _mean_ we won't be going?"   
Asuka cried out as she stood from her chair.  
  
"Your presence is required here in Tokyo   
Three until the threat of the Angels is past,"   
Misato responder calmly.  
  
"No one ever told me anything about that!"  
  
"Well now you've been told," Misato said   
with a smile.  
  
"Who's crazy idea was this anyway?" Asuka   
muttered as she slumped back into her chair.  
  
"That particular crazy notion would be   
mine," Misato told her as she popped open her   
drink, "as the operations planing manager it   
was my decision."  
  
Asuka seemed to simmer in her seat, and   
Misato could feel the anger resonating off the   
German girl like a tangible force. To her   
relief-- and slight amusement-- Asuka decided   
to direct it to the boy sitting beside her who,   
until then, had been observing silently.  
  
"Hey you, don't just sit there drinking--   
say something! Stand up for yourself! It's your   
rights she's trampling on too you know!"  
  
"Well... I kinda figured we wouldn't be   
allowed to go from the beginning," Shinji told   
her-- doing an admirable job of not melting   
under her glare in the process, "and she does   
have a point, if an Angel attacks we do need to   
be here."  
  
"So you're just give up and let them strip   
away your freedom?"   
  
"It's not like that, it's just--"  
  
"I can't believe that they housebroke you   
so easily! You're pathetic!"  
  
"There's no call for that Asuka!" Shinji   
said indignantly. Actually, he had no idea what   
the English term she had just used meant, but   
he was sure it was not polite. Coming from   
Asuka it was a safe bet anyhow.  
  
"Don't take that tone of voice with _me_   
you little twerp!" Asuka said, her eyes   
burning.  
  
"Will you make up your mind?" Shinji   
demanded, raising his voice. She had been doing   
this for weeks now, and he was starting to get   
sick of it. One moment she would complain that   
he let everyone walk all over him, the next she   
was screaming at him for talking back to her.   
  
"Stop it both of you!" Misato yelled,   
slamming her beer can down on the table and   
causing both of them to jump in surprise,   
"Asuka I know how much you want to go on this   
trip, but we just can't risk it, I'm sorry.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait, _wait_, _WAIT_! That's   
all we ever do around here!" Asuka shouted,   
turning her anger back to her guardian, "any   
_good_ solider will tell you that we should be   
hunting _them_ not sitting around waiting for   
them to come to _us_!"  
  
"Asuka, if we could do that, believe me   
we would," Misato told her as she took another   
sip of her beer," but you do have to admit that   
this will give you both a good opportunity to   
catch up on your studies-- or did you think I   
wouldn't notice your test scores?"  
  
Shinji wished he could sink into his   
chair. He had known that sooner or later the   
absences and rushed makeup work was going to   
come out in his scores... he supposed he should   
be grateful it had taken this long.   
  
"You do realize that all your exam   
results were forwarded directly to my office? I   
am very disappointed with both of your scores,   
especially you Asuka... with your education you   
should be doing much better than this."  
  
"Hey, don't blame me if the grading   
scales you Japanese use can't properly identify   
my talents, " Asuka told her haughtily--   
unfortunately for her point, she was making no   
sense whatsoever," why are we even forced to go   
to school? It's not like they could actually   
_teach_ me anything there."  
  
"When in Rome," Misato said with a grin,   
"do as the Romans do... and get used to it   
because you're signed up for at least the next   
two semesters."  
  
"This sucks!" Asuka screamed as she   
stormed to her room and slammed her door.  
  
Shinji looked at Misato and a   
realization struck him. Living with the   
redheaded girl had been difficult for him, he   
had lost his room, the quiet, and a lot of   
privacy... but Misato on the other hand had   
seemed to take everything in stride. In the   
proceeding 'conversation' however, Shinji had   
detected a subtext to Misato's tone that was   
just now becoming text to him.  
  
"You enjoyed that," he asked his guardian   
as she downed the rest of her beer, "didn't   
you?"  
  
Misato tossed the empty can expertly into   
the recycling bin he had brought in awhile back   
and winked at him, "now Shinji it would be   
downright mean of me to take pleasure in   
denying that _sweet_ young girl a trip she had   
been looking forward to. Even if it was fully   
authorized and I had no choice," she leaned   
over onto her elbows and fluttered her   
eyelashes innocently, " why would you _ever_   
think I'd do that?"  
  
Shinji chuckled at that; at least it   
wasn't just _him_ that Asuka drove crazy.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Kensuke had been up most of the night.  
  
Last time he'd looked at the clock had   
been around one. Not that he really cared as he   
was, at the moment, wrapped up in what might   
have been the most fascinating conversation of   
his life. Ever since Nerv had secured the UN's   
undivided attention after the Jet Alone   
disaster, information on the Evangelions had   
been much easier to come by.   
  
The lack of international funding had not   
stopped other countries from developing war   
machines-- in fact there were numerous projects   
all around the world rushing robotic battle   
machines into production. Part of this was   
because the world feared what might happen if   
the Eva's were ever turned against mankind, but   
it also was a remnant of the twentieth   
centuries cold war mentality. If one country   
had a weapon, then the next largest would try   
to match them. It was the 'red queen'   
phenomenon. Everyone was running as fast as   
they could to stay in place.   
  
Kensuke ran a web page devoted to the   
latest rumors of such projects. He meticulously   
researched his leads, and only accepted new   
information from trusted sources. His current   
conversation was the result of an Email he'd   
received earlier that day.  
  
He was well aware that the Jet Alone   
project had been mostly abandoned by the JSSDF,   
but that the two prototypes had been sold to   
China. At the moment, there was no official   
word on the status of the JA's, and he had   
about given up hope on it. However, the person   
he had been conversing with most of the night   
had relayed information concerning a new   
project that had him very interested.   
  
[TheMechSage] so it's a land sea and air   
system?   
  
[TetsuShojo] that's right, it's one of   
the reasons they called it what they did.  
  
[TheMechSage] this is great? How long   
before they go public? Not that I   
don't believe you, but I have to confirm   
some of this before I can post it.  
  
[TetsuShojo] I understand, but I just   
don't know. They don't exactly tell us   
much in my department  
  
[TheMechSage] that's a shame, ever since   
the American project fell through and   
they joined Project E there hasn't been   
much to report. If I didn't have such   
great footage of the Eva's then my site   
wouldn't be worth much.  
  
[TetsuShojo] I think you're doing a great   
job. That picture of Unit One under repair   
is amazing. It's even better than the one   
of it and Zero at sunset  
  
[TheMechSage] oh, I can't take credit for   
that one, it was a gift  
  
[TetsuShojo] really? How did you manage   
that?  
  
[TheMechSage] well I don't usually tell   
people this, but one of the pilots is a   
pretty good friend of mine. His guardian   
got the photo for me. I think she got tired   
of my pestering her about it.  
  
[TetsuShojo] you're kidding?  
  
[TheMechSage] truth, truth! Check out my   
'life in Tokyo Three' page for a pic of him,   
he's the one with the sad look on his face  
  
[TetsuShojo] hmmm he's a cutie, and you're   
the sexy one with the glasses?  
  
[TheMechSage] that's me in the glasses, I   
don't know about 'sexy' though  
  
[TetsuShojo] hey, I think freckles are   
_way_ sexy on the right guy  
  
[TheMechSage] you flatter me ^_^  
  
[TetsuShojo] hey, while I'm thinking about   
it, I heard something about an Australian   
project today. I'll see what the word is   
on that tomorrow  
  
[TheMechSage] I really appreciate all the   
information; you've been a big help   
  
[TetsuShojo] it's my pleasure, when will   
you be on again by the way? I've had fun   
talking with you  
  
[TheMechSage] well I'm going to Okinawa   
for a few days, but I'll be back in a   
week or so.  
  
[TetsuShojo] glad to hear it, I look   
forward to our next conversation  
  
[TheMechSage] hey, before you go, what's   
your name? I never did catch it  
  
[TetsuShojo] ah, but that would be   
telling... ^_^  
  
[TheMechSage] a woman of mystery, I like   
it!  
  
[TetsuShojo] silly, it's late and I do   
have to go... enjoy your trip  
  
[TheMechSage] Thank you. I'll talk to you   
soon. Nite!  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I still wish you could go with us,"   
Hikari told Shinji as they walked back to the   
airport terminal where everyone was waiting for   
the plane to arrive. The rest of their class   
was there as well; Asuka had even come to see   
them off. The only person who was not there was   
Rei, but Hikari didn't mind. She knew from her   
dealings with Shinji that it was going to take   
a long time before Rei could make anything   
close to his progress in the social department.   
  
"It's probably better that I stay,"   
Shinji said with a weak smile, " I wouldn't be   
able to go diving anyhow."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I can't swim," he replied with a slight   
blush.  
  
"Seriously? That's a shame... I could   
teach you if you want."   
  
"I don't know," he said apprehensively, "   
I spend so much time breathing liquid in the   
Eva that it doesn't appeal to me much."  
  
"Well I kind of see your point there, but   
you should still learn. You never know when it   
will come in handy."  
  
"I suppose... hey have you decided what   
you're going to the dance as?"  
  
"No, I still can't think of a costume...   
the rules said that it has to ' represent an   
aspect of your personality'. Interesting in   
theory, but it makes picking one out a bit   
difficult."  
  
"I'm sure you'll come up with something,"   
he said-- reaching over and squeezing her hand.  
  
"Even so, I won't have much time if I   
don't do it soon... anyway, what are you going   
to do while we're all gone?"   
  
"I think Misato has something planed with   
your sister, but other than that I'm mostly   
going to be studying for the make up exam."  
  
"I'm sorry, I should have helped you   
study more."  
  
"It's not your fault, I doubt I would have   
scored as high as I did if you hadn't been   
there. It's the training and tests that keep   
cutting into my time."  
  
"Not to mention your roommate's music   
tastes," Hikari said cringing in memory of the   
German rock bands that Asuka favored. She liked   
the girl, but was doubtful that she would ever   
like her music.  
  
"Well, it hasn't been so bad since Misato   
threatened to throw the stereo out the window;   
I think Asuka got the message. It's a very good   
thing that we don't have neighbors."  
  
They stood and walked back to where the   
rest of the students were gathered. Asuka was   
chatting away with Ichigo and a couple other   
girls, Kensuke was fast asleep, Touji on he   
other hand was wide-awake and waved them over   
to where he was sitting.  
  
"Where have you two been hiding?" he asked   
as they sat down.  
  
"We were over at the food court," Shinji   
replied  
  
"Cool, I think I might run over there   
before the plane arrives. I doubt I can make it   
the whole flight on just peanuts."  
  
"Didn't you have breakfast before you   
left home?" Hikari asked   
  
"Yeah... why?"  
  
"It was just two hours ago Touji," Shinji   
said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Never mind," the two sighed in unison.  
  
"So what's shaking with the demon?" Touji   
asked, "she didn't even insult me this morning,   
I _almost_ miss the attention."  
  
"Well she found out Misato was going to   
let her use the natatorium to go scuba diving   
and she's been in a good mood ever since. Come   
to think of it she hasn't even called me stupid   
once today"  
  
"Gotta be some kind of record or   
something," Touji said with a grin,  
  
"Stop it you two," Hikari told them--   
trying to keep from smiling as she did so.  
  
"Shame you can't go," Touji told Shinji,   
"not gonna be as much fun without ya."  
  
Shinji almost blushed, Touji wasn't just   
saying that-- he really meant it. He had only   
known the other boy for a sjort while, but in   
that time he had learned that Touji generally   
said the first thing that came to mind. No   
pauses to ponder the outcome simply thought to   
deed in one electric leap. So for him to say   
something like that, especially offhand like he   
had, indicated that he meant it fully.  
  
"Thank you Touji," Shinji told his   
friend, " I wish I could go too, but I do have   
a responsibility to be here."  
  
"Well, I'll try to have fun for the three   
of ya," Touji said with a grin.   
  
"Suzuhara!" Hikari said-- crossing her   
arms wit ha frown.  
  
"What? I shouldn't try to have fun?"  
  
"You're utterly hopeless, aren't you?"   
Hikari said with a sigh  
  
"Hey!" Asuka said as she sauntered over, "   
whatcha talking about?"  
  
"Not much," Hikari said, "just wishing you   
Rei and Shinji could go."  
  
"I know, and it's a damned shame that Nerv   
won't go on the offensive, "Asuka said as she   
leaned against a support beam and crossed her   
hands behind her head, "if Misato didn't have   
the highest tactical scores out of the last six   
classes in Germany I'd think this organization   
was run by idiots."  
  
"Is she really that good?" Shinji asked,   
this was the first he'd heard of this.  
  
"Well Kaji was in her graduating class,   
and he told me about it once," she said,   
"apparently she even had to take the hardest   
tests twice because they couldn't believe she   
hadn't cheated. Then she beat her previous   
score and they all flipped."  
  
"Wow..." Touji said, he glanced over at   
Kensuke who was still snoring in his seat. He   
would have to remember to tease his friend for   
missing out on this information about Goddess   
Katsuragi.  
  
"Yeah, the only reason she didn't graduate   
top of her class was that she missed a week or   
two in mid semester, I asked Kaji about that   
but he said he didn't know why. I have to   
admit, despite her sloppy housekeeping, she is   
the best I have ever seen at what she does."   
  
As they pondered the high compliment Asuka   
had just given Misato, their flight was   
announced and the other students began   
gathering their carry on luggage. Shinji and   
Hikari stood there for a bit each wanting to   
say something, but not having the words.  
  
"I guess this is it," Shinji said at last   
as he looked down at his feet.  
  
"I'll get the two of you something nice   
while I'm there."   
  
"Thanks."  
  
They stood there for a few moments longer   
before Hikari came to a decision. Taking a   
determined breath she stepped forward, and to   
the surprise of Touji, the newly awakened   
Kensuke, and the completely befuddled Asuka--   
she kissed Shinji deeply on the lips.  
  
They had kissed once before, and it had   
been nice, but this one shot it down in flames.   
As Shinji overcame his surprise and began to   
return her embrace, the others watched on in   
shock. When the two finally came up for air and   
saw the looks they were receiving, they both   
blushed deeply. As Touji looked back and forth   
between the two and scratched his head in   
confusion, Kensuke pinched himself to make sure   
he was really awake.   
  
After a moment, Asuka threw up her hands   
and walked off cursing in German about all   
Japanese being perverts. This sent Hikari into   
giggles and Shinji into an even deeper blush.   
Finally the boarding signal was given and the   
class began heading to the plane. As they made   
their way down to their seats, Touji turned to   
speak with Kensuke  
  
"When did this start?" he asked his   
groggy friend.  
  
"I have no idea, but I kinda had a hunch   
something was up."  
  
"Really? I didn't have a clue."  
  
"I _must_ be tired if I'm passing on a   
straight line like that," Kensuke said with a   
yawn, " why so shocked though? It's not like   
they don't make a cute couple."  
  
"I dunno, Shinji's kinda weird."  
  
"He can be a little different, but that's   
just because of how he was raised. Think about   
how much he's changed since he started hanging   
out with us and the class rep. I don't remember   
him even talking to anyone for the first two   
weeks, now he and Hikari spend almost every   
spare moment together.   
  
"You do have a point... but I dunno,"   
Touji looked out the window at the terminal   
where he could see Shinji standing against the   
glass, "think he's good enough for her?"  
  
"If I were any more awake than I am, I'd   
suspect you were jealous Touji," Kensuke said   
as he leaned his seat back a bit.   
  
"Of course not!" Touji said defensively,   
"but she _is_ our friend and we ought to look   
out for her. It was a legitimate question."   
  
"Well if he was still like he was when he   
arrived, I might agree, " Kensuke said as he   
settled back in his chair, " but he's come a   
long way since that day at the train station...   
I think there's hope for them."  
  
Touji listened to that and thought about   
it for a moment. He was about to ask something   
else when he turned and found Kensuke was fast   
asleep.  
  
Farther back in the plane Hikari and Yume   
were seated together. Naturally the other girl   
wanted to know the hows and whys of what she   
had just witnessed.  
  
"I told you," Hikari repeated, " we're not   
too serious yet, that was only our second   
kiss."  
  
"And you're not worried?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Leaving him alone with the other two   
pilots. I'll admit that Ayanami isn't much of a   
threat, but the German? I wouldn't leave my guy   
alone within a mile of her."  
  
"Shinji isn't interested in her, he told   
me so."  
  
"Hikari, I thought you were smarter than   
that..."  
  
"Smarter than what?"  
  
"Boys don't exactly think with their   
_brains_ all the time. Asuka isn't the nicest   
girl I've ever met, she could melt just about   
any guy's spine in half a second if she tried."  
  
"I doubt she's even interested in Shinji,   
she complains about him constantly."  
  
"Hmmm maybe, but you never know..."  
  
Hikari turned away and looked out the   
window as they pulled onto the runway. She   
trusted Shinji; he was practically the   
definition of 'heart on his sleeve'. But Yume   
did have a point and that point had actually   
been one of the reasons behind the kiss that   
had so surprised everyone. She had wanted to   
leave Shinji with her on his mind in a big way.   
  
In the end it came down to the fact she   
trusted him, but even as she reminded herself   
of the fact... Yume's words resonated in her   
mind...   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
From the terminal, Shinji watched the   
plane lift off.   
  
As it sailed off into the clear blue sky   
he sighed and thought back to that electrifying   
kiss. He had never experience anything like it,   
he had felt totally open for that moment, and   
he hadn't been afraid. It was amazing how much   
more intense it had been than the last one, and   
that had been considerably intense. Almost   
amazing as the intensity was the closeness he   
felt to Hikari.   
  
When he was around Hikari, he felt safe.   
That was the best way to put it. He knew she   
wouldn't twist anything he said into a joke, or   
yell at him like Misato and Asuka did. He knew   
she would listen to what he had to say, and   
that she trusted him to do the same. He knew   
that she enjoyed his company as much as he   
enjoyed hers. Most importantly he felt that he   
could be totally honest with her, and that had   
been something he'd never been able to do   
before.  
  
When he had arrived in Tokyo Three he   
had been alone. Since he had arrived he had   
gained friends, he even had something like a   
family- dysfunctional as it might be, and   
now... a girlfriend?  
  
"Hey! Let's go stupid," Asuka Shouted from   
behind, " I want to go swimming sometime   
_before_ they get back!"  
  
He smiled, having suspected she wouldn't   
last the whole morning without saying it at   
least once.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]   
  
  
He hadn't planed on going with them, but   
Shinji had allowed Misato talk him into joining   
Rei and Asuka at the natatorium. Her reasoning   
had been sound enough-- if something happened   
to Asuka while she was underwater, he could at   
least shout for help and the Section Two guards   
would come running.   
  
Unfortunately what Misato hadn't taken   
into account was the mindset he had been in   
since Hikari's departure. Every time he thought   
back to the kiss his mind became more muddled   
and he found it harder to concentrate on his   
studies for the makeup test. This was made even   
more difficult by Asuka's new swimsuit.   
  
He wondered if the designer of the suit   
had crafted it with the sole purpose of   
inciting lustful thoughts in males, it didn't   
seem to be designed for _swimming_ that was for   
sure. It was far too delicate to be able to   
stand up to much vigorous swimming, or diving,   
and had Asuka not merely been planing to use   
the Scuba equipment it would have been a poor   
choice in his opinion.   
  
All that aside, the main problem he had   
with the suit was the ridiculously big zipper   
on the front. He could understand the need for   
one with the design the suit had, but it was a   
bit much. The idea was so blatantly obvious   
that even he could understand it. The zipper   
was supposed to catch a guy's eye, and he was   
supposed to want to unzip it.   
  
Clearly she had bought this particular   
suit with Kaji in mind, but he wished she would   
save it for when the older man was around-- at   
the moment it was keeping him from   
concentrating.   
  
"Hey Shinji, whatcha doin'?" Asuka asked   
as she wandered over  
  
"I'm trying to get some studying done   
before our makeup exam," he told her, trying   
not to stare at her chest-- which was at the   
moment almost shoved in his face as she leaned   
over and read off his laptop.  
  
"Oh you're such an _obedient_ student,"   
she teased as she sat down in the chair beside   
him and crossed her legs. Behind her in the   
pool Rei was making her second lap underwater   
without coming up for air.  
  
"Well," he explained, grateful that she   
had removed her cleavage from his face, "I   
don't want to have to spend years catching up   
to my studies when all of this is over."   
  
"I suppose that makes sense... hey, what's   
this one?" she asked as she turned his laptop   
to face her. After a moment she pressed a   
couple of keys and turned it back to him, "   
there you go, all done. Its easy if you know   
how."  
  
"I don't understand Asuka, you can solve   
a hard problem like this... but you failed the   
exam?"  
  
"Oh _that_" She said leaning back in her   
chair and looking up at the ceiling, " I still   
haven't mastered all these crazy little   
squiggles that you call a written language over   
here."  
  
"You don't know the Kanji?"  
  
"Not all of it, I didn't have to study it   
in collage," she said as she twirled a few   
strands of hair between her fingers.  
  
"Y--you went to _collage_?"  
  
"Yeah," Asuka said dismissively, " I   
graduated last year, they said I was the   
youngest graduate in like sixty years or   
something... hey why are you just sitting   
around up here anyway?"   
  
"You mean why am I not swimming?"  
  
"Yeah"  
  
"I can't swim."  
  
"Really? Why not?"  
  
"Back where I used to live there wasn't   
anywhere to do it, and like I told Hikari after   
breathing LCL so much I'm not very eager to   
float around like that."  
  
"Well you're missing out if you ask me."  
  
"What's so fascinating about it anyway?"  
  
"Lets see, for one thing I like how the   
echoes are all different when your down there.   
Sound actually carries better under water. Plus   
when you're floating down there its like   
flying. The ocean is even better because its   
like a whole other world suspended in midair."  
  
" I see your point, but I still think I'll   
stick to dry land for the moment, " he told her   
with a frown.  
  
"Your call, but I still say you're missing   
out Shinji... anyway, what's this one say?" she   
said pointing at the computer.  
  
"It's a question about thermal expansion."  
  
"Oh that's baby stuff, in short, things   
get larger when they get hot and smaller when   
they get cold."   
  
"I know that but-" Shinji started to say,   
however the redhead cut him off in mid   
sentence.  
  
"I'll even make it easier for you," she   
told him as she took her hands -- and to   
Shinji's discomfort-- cupped her breasts.  
  
"Now, " she said as Shinji's face reddened,   
"if I were to warm my breasts with my hands   
would they get larger or smaller?"  
  
'What the hell is her problem?' Shinji   
thought as he looked away, 'she spends weeks   
calling me a pervert and now she does something   
like this?'  
  
"I don't know," he said quickly as he   
tried not to look at the admitably interesting   
scene before him, "I don't think about things   
like that!"   
  
"You are _so_ dull Third Child, " she   
said haughtily as she stood and walked over to   
her scuba gear, "I don't think there's anything   
about you that's really interesting."  
  
Shinji frowned. He had never pretended to   
understand Asuka, take this for example; she   
had come over to _him_ and started up the   
conversation, now she was cutting it off and   
complaining. If she didn't find him interesting   
he wished she would just leave him alone and   
stop teasing him.   
  
There was a splash behind him and he   
turned to see Ayanami climb out of the water   
and start to towel off. Before he could   
register this however, a shout echoed thorough   
the natatorium.  
  
"Hey Shinji! Lookie, lookie!"  
  
Turning once again, he saw Asuka wave at   
him as she fell back into the water.   
  
'Oh, right,' he thought with a sigh and   
turned back to his studies, ' you don't find me   
interesting at _all_ '  
  
'What is wrong with that girl anyway?' He   
wondered as she finished the next few   
questions; 'doesn't she realize that she's   
contradicting herself all the time?'   
  
As he considered this, he heard soft   
footfalls close by and turned to find Ayanami   
standing behind him.  
  
"Hello Rei," he said politely, " did you   
enjoy your swim?"  
  
"Yes." She said simply as she sat down.   
  
"I wish I could be as interested in it as   
the two of you are," he told her, "Asuka tried   
to explain it to me, but I still don't know..."  
  
"Pilot Soryu finds comfort in water   
because it isolates her from the world." Rei   
said, startling Shinji with the depth of the   
statement, "many have different reasons."  
  
"Why do you like to swim Rei?" he asked  
  
"Our bodies are mostly water and there is   
a sense of oneness when I am immersed, also it   
gives me the feeling of..." she paused and   
frowned for a moment, "I do not know how to   
further describe it, I am sorry."  
  
"Its okay, I think I understand a   
little... particularly Asuka's reason."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because, I do something like that   
sometimes, only I use music instead of water."  
  
"Music isolates you from the world?"  
  
"It can," Shinji said as he looked out at   
the Geofront beyond the window, "some music   
draws you in if you let it. You can create   
whole worlds in your mind if you let yourself   
drift to the melody."  
  
"I have never considered this," Rei said   
thoughtfully, "does it occur with all music?"  
  
"Everyone's taste in music differs Rei,   
some you might like more than others... but for   
me classical is the best for doing that. Would   
you like to hear some?"  
  
Rei nodded an affirmative and Shinji   
pulled up his music file. He usually kept most   
of his tracks on his hard drive and downloaded   
them onto his SDAT when it was time for a   
change. It only took a moment for him to find   
his Beethoven collection and soon Moonlight   
Sonata was drifting out of the laptops built in   
speakers.  
  
As Rei listened attentively to the somber   
piano melody, Asuka surfaced, having heard the   
music's echo from below the water. When the   
piece was done Shinji noticed that Rei's eyes   
had been closed. She opened them nodded at him,   
then stood and walked out of the room. Back in   
the pool Asuka shrugged and submerged.   
  
'I guess that's her idea of a 'thank   
you'...' he thought as he reloaded his homework   
program.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Somewhere deep in the Geofront, there was   
a room that only two men ever entered. This   
room was not overly large; in fact Commander   
Ikari's office was almost three times its size.   
It was however large enough to accommodate a   
complex holographic projection and recording   
system. In the center of the room was a table   
with six spaces, each of these was illuminated   
in a different hue. At one end of the table sat   
Commander Gendou Ikari, with his Sub-Commander   
Kozo Fuyutski standing nearby.   
  
The other five men in the room were in   
fact miles away. Their images were also no   
doubt altered to keep their identities secret   
from even the other members. Each of these men   
was a member of an organization known only as   
Seele. It had existed for years, perhaps   
centuries as a network of powerful men with one   
outstanding goal in mind  
  
The human instrumentality program.   
  
At the moment however, the topic at hand   
was only linked to that by incident. A few   
hours previous a discovery had been made at one   
of Japan's active volcanoes-- an Angel slept   
therein. If captured it could be a tremendous   
source of data for the numerous projects under   
development around the world.   
  
If they failed however...  
  
"An A17?" one of the committee members   
asked with more amusement in his tone than   
Gendou cared to have directed at him.  
  
"You wish to make a pre-emptive strike   
then?" another asked, at least showing a polite   
amount of interest  
  
Gendou fought the urge to sigh in annoyance.   
Seele was made up of some of the most powerful   
men on the planet. Men who ruled nations sat in   
it's committee. One would have thought that   
some tact would have come with the job.  
  
"Yes," he told them simply.  
  
"Not acceptable! It's too dangerous!" one   
of the other men sneered at him.   
Unsurprisingly, it was the American, the   
prideful fools never had forgiven the Japanese   
for overtaking them as the dominant world   
power, "don't tell me you've already forgotten   
what happened when we tried this 15 years ago."  
  
Gendou fought the urge to get up and   
simply walk out. These sessions were more   
dangerous to him than any Angel attack could   
ever be. It seemed as if they were purposefully   
trying to antagonize him sometimes, "It's an   
opportunity to take an offensive posture, we've   
been doing nothing but defending ourselves   
since the beginning."  
  
" I must agree with him Ikari" the man who   
Gendou had known for years as Kiel said, "the   
risk is far too great."  
  
"Surely you admit how important getting a   
sample of a living Angel is," he said keeping   
his eyes fixed on Kiel.  
  
A moment passed between the men in total   
silence as Kiel considered those words. Finally   
the visored man spoke "Failure will not be   
tolerated," he told Gendou as the holographic   
conference was terminated.   
  
When the light of his place marker went   
out and he was certain that they were alone, he   
finally allowed himself to relax slightly. He   
detested dealing with these greedy and   
desperate fools, but if his goals were to be   
realized then he had no choice. To leave them   
to their own designs was _not_ something he was   
prepared to do-- no matter how annoying their   
bickering could be.  
  
"Failure?" Fuyutski said with obvious   
disgust, "If we fail, humanity will cease to   
exist."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"So this is the Angel?" Shinji asked as   
they looked at the projected image on the   
screen. It didn't really look like an angel at   
the moment... it looked more like one of the x-  
rays that doctors took of an unborn baby. They   
had called them in not half an hour ago and   
they had been suited up and ready to go when   
they had found out the nature of the mission.   
Needless to say Asuka was happy about it.   
  
"Yes," Ritsuko told them "this is   
something like a chrysalis stage before   
adulthood. I want you all to remember that the   
top priority for this operation is to trap the   
Angel, capturing it alive and preserving its   
original condition as much as possible."  
  
"And if we screw up?" Asuka asked  
  
"Annihilate it as quickly as possible,"   
Ritsuko answered, showing no reaction to the   
insolent way Asuka had asked her question, "do   
you all understand what I've told you?"  
  
"Yes," the three pilots said in unison.   
  
"Good, now the assigned pilot will be--"  
  
She didn't get to finish before Asuka   
began bouncing in her seat with her hand in the   
air, looking for all the world like a teacher's   
pet who knew the answer to a tough question.  
  
"Me! Me! I'll go!" she cried excitedly.   
They all knew that she had been craving a solo   
mission since she arrived, and that she wasn't   
about to let this one slide by without a   
argument.  
  
'But of course, they'll pick me as   
usual,' Shinji thought as he slumped back in   
his chair.   
  
"The pilot will be Asuka" Ritsuko finally   
finished with a roll of her eyes.   
  
Shinji sat up with a start at hearing   
that, for a change they weren't going to put   
him in the hot seat...  
  
As he thought about that with relief, Rei   
spoke up  
  
"And myself?"  
  
"Unfortunately the equipment hasn't been   
standardized for use with Unit Zero" Maya told   
her, " we still haven't finished the upgrades   
to the prototype."  
  
"Correct," Ritsuko added, " but since it   
is nearly fully repaired you will remain here   
in case of emergency"  
  
"Understood," Rei said.  
  
"Awwww too bad," Asuka teased, " you   
won't be able to join us at the hot springs I   
guess"  
  
Shinji frowned-- there was absolutely no   
call for that.  
  
"Ritsuko?" he asked, " once the Angel is   
defeated is there any reason Rei shouldn't be   
allowed to join us?"  
  
" I suppose not, if she wants to go we   
could arrange a transport... Rei?"  
  
Rei looked around at the expectant faces   
with a touch of surprise; she had not   
considered the possibility of joining the   
others once the condition of the prototype had   
been explained. However she had never been to a   
hot spring, and the idea did appeal to her.  
  
"If it does not interfere with my duties,   
then I would enjoy to go." She told Ritsuko who   
smiled as she caught Asuka's reaction out of   
the corner of her eye. The reaction in question   
was one of great annoyance.   
  
In the meantime Shinji sat there with a   
smile on his face.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
They had arrived quickly and set up at the   
edge of the fiery pit. Shinji was to stand by   
in Unit One while Asuka took the type D   
equipment down into the inferno. He had to   
admire how brave she was, if something went   
wrong she would be not only roasted alive, but   
feel Unit Two's pain long before the Entryplug   
was affected by the heat. He knew _far_ to well   
what that felt like, and did not envy her job.   
  
As he sat above the rim of the volcano in   
Unit One, he noticed a series of smoke trails   
above, there normally weren't that many planes   
in the area and it caught his attention.  
  
Flipping on his communications he asked   
Misato and the others what it was about.  
  
"That's the UN air force," Ritsuko   
answered  
  
"Oh?" Asuka piped in from Unit Two, "are   
they here to help us?"  
  
"No," Ritsuko replied with a touch of sour   
amusement, " they're here to clean up the mess   
if we fail."  
  
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked  
  
"If we fail their orders are to saturate   
the area with a N2 bombing run."  
  
"That _sucks_!" Asuka screamed indignantly   
from her Entryplug.  
  
" Who would order something like that?"   
Shinji wanted to know.  
  
"Commander Ikari" Ritsuko replied  
  
'You bastard...' Shinji thought angrily as   
he looked up at the planes circle above like   
vultures.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Other than the scissors dive as she went   
in, Shinji had to admit that Asuka was totally   
professional. It was strange... Misato was the   
same way. Off duty the woman was a total slob,   
constantly drinking and dressing in clothing   
that would get her arrested anywhere other than   
a beach. On duty Misato was just what Kensuke   
and Touji called her-- a Goddess. Right now she   
was completely in command of all aspects of the   
operation and the very picture of professional   
behavior.   
  
A similar duality was at work with Asuka.   
Thankfully she didn't have Misato's habits, but   
the ones she _did_ have were almost as bad. But   
now, as he listened to the exchange going on   
between her and Misato, he respected her   
understanding of procedure. It was something he   
didn't have; for the most part he had to   
struggle just to remember the proper procedure   
for communications.   
  
As she passed the recommended safety   
depth, he was again impressed by her lack of   
fear. Had it been him down there with the magma   
he knew he would have turned back by now.   
  
"Nothing detected, no one's home" Asuka   
told Misato as she scanned the expected   
location.  
  
"The lava flow at that depth is faster   
than predicted, we are recalculating the   
location now" Misato told her.  
  
A few moments passed and Shinji was   
sweating despite the fact he was on the   
surface, every few moments he could hear a   
creaking sound over the radio contact, and he   
knew it was the armor of Unit Two warping under   
the heat.  
  
"We are exceeding the maximum safety   
depth, Asuka what is your status?" Misato asked  
  
"So far so good, but I wanna get into a   
shower first thing when I'm done, I feel nasty   
in this damn weird Plugsuit"  
  
"I know," Misato told her, and Shinji   
could almost picture the grin, " when we're   
done here we'll head off to the hot springs   
okay?"   
  
As the Eva continued its slow trek, Shinji   
could still hear the creaking of the type D   
equipment through the communication link. The   
pressure down there was unbelievable; it had   
even snapped the straps holding the progressive   
knife in place. Every creak singled a step   
closer to the armor's implosion, how Asuka   
could stand it was beyond him.   
  
Finally they found the target.  
  
"Releasing magnetic field... no problems   
detected, " Asuka told them from the bowls of   
the earth, " capture successful"  
  
"How are you down there Asuka?" Shinji   
asked   
  
"Oh this was nothing," She told him, "but   
I definitely want to get the hell out of this   
damn suit and into that hot bath."  
  
Shinji grinned at that and sat back on   
his seat. Nothing had gone wrong, she was ok,   
and soon they would be at the springs. He   
wished Hikari would be there, he missed her. At   
least it would give him a chance to get to know   
her sisters though. They had planned this trip   
from the moment they had discovered that he and   
Asuka wouldn't be going on the class trip.   
Misato had even arranged for Kodama to bring   
Rei with them when she and Nozomi came up   
later. When she wasn't teasing him, Kodama   
could be nice enough, and Nozomi was just fun.   
The younger girl was smarter than most of the   
people he knew, when she grew up she just might   
make good on her desire to take Misato's job.  
  
As he drifted along to his thoughts, he   
heard a beep from the com, then an alarm.  
  
Sitting up quickly he checked his readouts   
and saw that there was a problem with the EM   
field around the angel... it was waking up!  
  
"Abort the capture," Misato yelled over   
the com, "drop the cage!"  
  
"No!" Asuka cried as the beast tried to   
free itself  
  
"Our operation is now altered," Misato   
ordered, "annihilation of Angel is the number   
one priority. Unit Two, withdraw and prepare   
for battle."  
  
"Understood!" Asuka said from below,   
"I've been waiting for this!"  
  
However a few seconds later, Shinji's   
hairs stood on end as he heard her next   
transmission  
  
"Oh, shiest!" She cried, "I forgot that I   
dropped the knife! The enemy is approaching   
from the front! Releasing ballast's."  
  
"Asuka," Misato yelled as Ritsuko   
relayed Shinji's new orders, "Unit One will   
drop its knife. Try and catch it!"  
  
Shinji threw his progressive knife into   
the bubbling lava, but his concern didn't ebb a   
bit. Switching on a private line to Misato, he   
asked permission to join the fight.  
  
"Negative Shinji, we need you up here in   
case the angel defeats Asuka."  
  
"But Misato--"  
  
"I said _no_ Shinji and that's an order,   
you are our last line of defense"  
  
'Gee, no pressure," he thought bitterly   
as he watched the churning mass of molten rock   
below.   
  
The battle was tense for all of them.   
Visibility was nil and without weapons, Asuka   
was reduced to dodges for the moment. Her depth   
was rising rapidly but it just wasn't fast   
enough.   
  
As the progressive knife arrived Shinji   
let out a sigh of relief... that was until what   
he heard next.  
  
"I'm not getting any use out of this damn   
thing!" she cried as she tried to cut into the   
Angel who was trying to _eat_ her. Ritsuko   
reported that the Angel's mass was too great   
and that the heat was preventing the   
Progressive knife from making even a scratch.  
  
'Damnit I can't just _sit_ here' Shinji   
thought as the others tried to come up with a   
plan, the answer came to him in a flash as he   
heard Maya report that one of the coolant pipes   
had been damaged.  
  
"Asuka!" he shouted, trying to slow his   
mind down enough to make sense "think Physics!"  
  
"Thermal expansion!" She yelled as she   
realized what he was saying, "transmit all   
coolant pressure to pipe three!"  
  
As they followed the directions, Shinji   
leaned over the edge and looked at the lava   
again, no sign of the battle below could be   
seen from there, despite the fact they were   
only a few hundred feet below the surface now.   
  
" Heavy damage to all pipes!" Makoto   
yelled suddenly, " structural integrity down to   
three percent!"  
  
"I'm going in!" Shinji shouted as he   
realized that Asuka's lifeline was about to   
snap.  
  
"No Shinji!" Misato yelled back, " this is   
an order, you sta-"   
  
Whatever she might have added to that was   
lost as Shinji switched off all communications   
and leapt into the volcano.   
  
The first thing he noticed was the pain.   
The searing heat all around him transmitted   
through the neural interface he shared with   
Unit One. It was not, however, as bad as what   
the fifth angel had done to him, and he felt he   
could take it for a while.  
  
The second thing he felt as he sunk   
rapidly down into the magma, was the pressure.   
It felt like every inch of his body was being   
crushed more and more as he went deeper. Had   
this been the same for Asuka? How could she   
stand it?  
  
As he activated the CT monitor, he saw that   
Asuka was only a couple of meters away now, and   
as reported the piping was about to give out.   
  
Switching his communications back on he   
could hear her.  
  
"I defeated the Angel," she said softly, "   
but I'm done for..."  
  
'No!' he thought as the pipe snapped just   
below him. Grabbing the end, he threw Unit One   
forward and reached as far as he could,   
grasping the edge of Unit Two's piping at the   
last possible second.   
  
Unit Two's descent stopped with a jerk,   
and he heard a surprised gasp come over the com   
link. As he breathed a sigh of relief, he heard   
her let out a short laugh.  
  
"Show off" she said.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Do you have any idea how much trouble   
you are in Shinji?" Misato demanded once he   
returned from the shower. He was painfully   
reminded of a similar situation just after the   
fourth angel. That had been about he same   
thing-- disobeying orders.   
  
"I gave you a direct order to hold your   
position and you ignored it. Not only that you   
shut off communications and placed Unit One at   
great risk." Misato told him, her voice was   
like steel trimmed with ice, "the price of   
repairs for Unit Two alone could feed a small   
nation, but you went down there with no   
protection at all. We're going to be clearing   
lava out of Unit One's armor for weeks!"  
  
Shinji stood there and listened to what   
she had to say. He didn't care really, he had   
saved Asuka and that was the important thing.   
How Misato seemed to be missing that point was   
beyond him.  
  
"I will have you know Shinji Ikari, "   
Misato said, " that we are in a time of war,   
and during war solders who disobey orders can   
be executed at the whim of the commanding   
officer. What you did back there can be   
interpreted as treason _very_ easily. Am I   
making myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal" Shinji said, and while he did   
understand, he didn't really care. The angel   
was dead and he had not been about to let   
someone die like that if there was something he   
could do. It felt... good to have saved   
someone's life, and he was not going to let   
anyone take that away. Even Misato.  
  
"Good," she told him, her voice suddenly   
softening" because now I want to thank you   
Shinji."  
  
"W--what?" he stammered, completely caught   
off guard, "why?"  
  
"For saving her life," Misato told him,   
"Shinji, I don't want you to think I chewed you   
out like that because I was mad you dove in   
there after Asuka. Don't get me wrong, I am   
angry that you disobeyed my orders, but there   
is a reason for that. If you don't follow   
orders in this job then people die Shinji, and   
that's what we're trying to prevent. You have   
to learn that I'm not telling you to do these   
things for the hell of it. Calls like the one   
today have to be made sometimes. It sucks, and   
I hate myself for it, but sometimes you just   
have to bite the bullet and do it anyway."  
  
"You never asked for this," she continued,   
"and I curse myself and your father every day   
for forcing you into it. But if we don't do   
this then too many people will lose heir lives.   
We don't have a choice Shinji, do you   
understand?"  
  
"I'm trying to Misato..." he told her as   
tears threatened to flow, "I really am, but I   
just don't want people to get hurt"   
  
She walked over and gave him a hug, "me   
either Kido, me either... hey, what's say we go   
spend a few dozen hours at the finest hot   
springs in the country and forget about all   
this bullshit?"  
  
"That sounds good," he told her as they   
stepped out of the truck that held the lockers   
and into the sunlight.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Later that night after the others arrived,   
they sat around a fireplace in the Hot spring's   
best suite and laughed as Misato told them   
about the Plugsuit they had made for Asuka's   
dive. Asuka of course was not happy about this   
and proceeded to tell everyone about the night   
Misato had tried to sing while drunk, complete   
with impressions.  
  
Nozomi had taken over the show at that   
point and had managed to not only embarrass   
Asuka, but had managed to bring up a couple of   
incidents that had Kodama and Misato blushing   
as well  
  
Shinji sat in his robe watching the   
proceedings with a smile. For so long he had   
hated piloting the Evangelion, but after today,   
he was realizing that there just might be a   
purpose and reason for him to continue.   
  
"Hey Ikari," Kodama said suddenly, "I   
need to talk with you a moment."  
  
"Okay..." he said as he sat up, and they   
walked over to a corner.  
  
"I heard about the kiss." Kodama said   
getting straight to the point.   
  
"Oh..." Shinji replied with a gulp  
  
"How do you feel about Hikari?" she asked   
him as she crossed her arms.  
  
Fighting to keep from blushing, he tried   
to answer as truthfully as he could.  
  
"I like her a lot Kodama, she makes me   
feel like I'm actually worth something."  
  
"Okay... well look, other than the fact   
you need a serious self esteem implant, I don't   
have any problems with you, but the first sign   
that you're not treating her right and I'm   
going to make sure you regret it."  
  
"Um..." Shinji said, his eyes wide at the   
threat, " I'll do my best."  
  
"S'all I wanted to hear. As long as you're   
good to her, then you're alright in my book   
Ikari."  
  
"Thank you," he said, as he wondered if   
other guys got this from their girlfriend's   
families.   
  
"So, what's the deal with Rei?" She asked   
him as she nodded where the girl sat by the   
window watching the rising moon, " is she your   
cousin or something?"  
  
"Huh?" Shinji said as he glanced at the   
pale girl, "no, I never even met her till I   
came here, what gave you that idea?"  
  
" I was just wondering. You two kind of...   
never mind, my bad call okay?  
  
"Don't worry about it," Shinji told her as   
they joined the others.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Asuka lay on her futon that night she   
thought back to that moment between the pipe   
snapping and her rescue.   
  
The reason this was so dominant in her   
mind was that for that instant, she had been   
relieved.   
  
'Why?' she wondered, 'why would I ever be   
_glad_ that I was about to die? That just   
doesn't make sense. I'm the best Pilot in Nerv,   
what could possibly make me want to leave   
that?'  
  
It was confusing to her, and bothersome   
because it threatened to bring out some things   
that she didn't want to remember. Rolling on   
her side she decided that there was too much   
pain in her past to dwell on this crap; it only   
brought back bad memories   
  
Across from her, she could see Nozomi   
and Rei sleeping silently. Rei wasn't exactly a   
talker, and Asuka didn't care for her attitude   
much anyhow. Nozomi on the other hand... Asuka   
was glad she had come, hanging around with her   
had given her an excuse to conveniently   
'forget' to thank Shinji for saving her life.   
  
It was frustrating that the little twit   
had overshadowed her greatest triumph. Not that   
she wasn't glad he had been there to pull her   
fat out of the fire, but she had wanted to   
complete the mission by herself. His having   
interfered had marred what should have been her   
total victory.   
  
To make matters worse he kept sinking his   
claws into her life! First she had been forced   
to share the apartment with him, and that had   
been survivable. But now she was being forced   
to deal with the fact that her only friend in   
the country had some kind of disgusting crush   
on him!   
  
She had _no_ idea what that was about, he   
wasn't much to look at, he had no personality   
and to top it all off he was a grubby little   
pervert. How Hikari could ever feel anything   
for someone like him was beyond her   
understanding. She had tried to figure it out   
that day at the natatorium, but still hadn't   
seen whatever it was in there. She had even   
seen Rei talking to him once or twice, and   
_that_ had to be proof enough that he was   
weird.   
  
As she tossed back to look out the window,   
she rolled her eyes and tried to get to sleep.   
She would have to have a long talk with Hikari   
when she and the others got back, that boy was   
nothing but trouble.   
  
Hopefully Hikari would be smart enough to   
realize that before anything disgusting   
happened.  
  
  
[]====================[]  
To Be Continued...  
[]====================[]  
  
  
  
Authors Incoherent Babbling:  
  
  
Some quick trivia: I was going through my   
(Webster's) English-Japanese dictionary looking   
up words and stuff and I found Hikari in there.   
The word translates as "ray or beam of light".   
Appropriate huh? Oh, and Nozomi means "hope,   
wish or a desire"... kinda cool stuff. I like   
how Japanese names do that. Occasionally in the   
English speaking countries you will run across   
a similar thing (generally with girls) where   
their name is Hope, or Crystal, or Willow. This   
happens in a few other cultures; I know Native   
Americans have names like that, but I don't   
know about others... the more I learn the more   
I discover I have yet to learn.   
  
On that note, anyone with a handle on   
Japanese might have caught the identity of   
Kensuke's new friend. I know it's not a cannon   
character, but I couldn't resist. Besides, I   
have a very good reason for doing it. And also   
on that note, I seriously doubt they just   
junked the JA's, selling them makes more sense   
in the starving world economy of post second   
impact.   
  
About the beer thing ... well I'm just   
guessing here, but chances are that Misato   
started drinking in collage and it just might   
have been Kaji that started her in on the   
Russian beer. *Snicker*  
  
And for the music, that one is just a   
guess, but if that's _his_ laptop it makes   
sense. Shinji only has the one bag and we never   
see a collection of music, but he has to record   
this stuff _somehow_ so I figure he keeps it on   
the laptop and mix and matches to suit his   
current mood.   
  
One more thing, and this is another   
attempt to dodge mailbombs from Asuka fans. If   
you don't like the portrayal of her here that's   
fine. I'm trying to portray her as someone who   
is very confused, but doesn't realize it. She   
lusts after Kaji, but every time she sees   
someone makin' with Der smoochin' she rolls her   
eyes and thinks 'how disgusting'. I don't think   
Asuka understands the difference between love   
and lust (or knows that there is one), and it's   
something I'll be exploring in Book 2.   
  
Well its late and my brain is fried from   
too much sugar and caffeine, off to sleep.  
  
  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios  
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  



	8. Book One Part Seven

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters from therein are the   
property of Gainax. They are used without permission and we beg the   
kind and benevolent creators of the glorious show not to sue us. ^_^  
  
  
Chain Lightning Studios Presents  
Together We Stand   
By T. L. Webb  
  
  
  
Did you ever wonder  
Why we had to run for shelter  
When the promise of a brave new world  
Unfurled beneath a clear blue sky   
Goodbye Blue Sky  
Pink Floyd, The Wall  
  
  
  
[]===============[]  
Book 1 Part 7  
[]===============[]  
  
  
It had been months since Shinji'd had a   
chance to see the sky like this.   
  
Living in the isolated area where his   
uncle's home was had few advantages, and he had   
missed out on a lot of things that most kids   
his age took for granted. He hadn't had many   
friends, and he had been too far away from the   
nearest town to go to middle school, his Uncle   
had arranged a tutor for those three years.   
  
However, there had been few things that   
he had actually enjoyed while living with his   
uncle. Despite the fact that the man had   
insisted he'd no talent for it, his first cello   
lessons had been one of his fondest memories--   
but the one thing he had always loved more than   
that was the area where he'd lived had an   
amazing view of the night sky.  
  
Now, as he gazed up at the magnificent few   
above him he smiled as a slight wave of vertigo   
passed over him. The stars were so crystal   
clear without the city to dim them out, and he   
had almost forgotten what it was like. He had   
almost forgotten how grand a view there was to   
be had by merely looking up at the night sky on   
a clear night. Lying back against the grass he   
could almost imagine himself being back there,   
still a child, still unaware of all the awful   
things to come.   
  
It was almost a shame that the power would   
be back on in the city so soon.   
  
"You know," he said to Asuka and Rei as he   
watched the slowly rotating view above, "its   
ironic that without the lights, the stars are   
so much more beautiful."  
  
Asuka was laying a few feet away beside   
Rei. They had defeated another angel, and since   
their services would no be required until power   
was restored, they'd asked the person who had   
driven Makoto to HQ to drop them off here.   
  
"I guess," the redhead replied, " but its   
kind of creepy, I mean without the lights it's   
like there aren't any humans down there."  
  
Shinji started to reply, but was   
interrupted by the breathtaking sight of Tokyo   
Three coming back to life.   
  
"There," Asuka said with a smile, "I feel   
better now."   
  
"Mankind fears the darkness" Rei said   
speaking up, " and chases it away with flames."  
  
As Shinji pondered this, Asuka let out a   
little snort, " philosophy huh?"  
  
"I wonder," Shinji asked, " is that why   
the Angels attack? Because we're able to   
initiate change like that?"   
  
"Oh who cares what they think," Asuka told   
him, "it doesn't matter. They attack, we kick   
their ass, and that's all you should worry   
about."  
  
"I'd still feel better if we knew what we   
were dealing with," Shinji told her.  
  
"Don't be an idiot Shinji. A solider who   
thinks too much is useless on the battlefield.   
Just follow orders and keep your head down."  
  
"That's your philosophy Asuka, I can't do   
that."  
  
"Then why are you even bothering to do   
this if you cant do it right?"  
  
"Because I have to."  
  
"What kind of lame-ass answer is that?"  
  
"A true one."  
  
"Anyone ever tell you that you're screwed   
in the head, Third Child?"  
  
"You, every day."  
  
"Ha-ha, I don't know why Hikari puts up   
with you. It _can't_ be your sense of humor"  
  
"You'd have to ask her Asuka, I'm not   
going to start this argument again."  
  
"Wuss. Hey, what's the deal with your two?   
I mean, what do you even have in common?"  
  
Shinji was quiet for a moment while he   
thought about that.   
  
"Well, we both like to cook for one   
thing," he said, " we like some of the same   
music, and movies... she's loaned me a few of   
her books and mangas-- so far our tastes in   
that are about the same, but a lot of it is   
more subtle than that."  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Well, a lot of the time it seems like   
we're on the same... well wavelength I guess   
you could say. I feel like I can--."  
  
"Puppy love," Asuka said, cutting him off   
with and smirking triumphantly.  
  
"What?"   
  
"Its nothing but puppy love, Shinji. You   
two don't have anything that a thousand other   
teenagers haven't gone through... pathetic."  
  
"I don't know why I bother talking to you   
sometimes," Shinji said as he climbed to his   
feet, "all you ever do is insult me."  
  
As Shinji walked down the hill, Asuka   
rolled her eyes and leaned back again.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
A few feet away, Rei Ayanami sat and   
pondered the conversation that had just   
transpired between her fellow pilots. Every day   
she learned more about them, and every day she   
wondered why she had never taken such an   
interest in the past. The interactions between   
the others were becoming increasingly   
fascinating to her, and she was paying far more   
attention to them than anyone would ever guess.   
  
It was also frustrating because other than   
a select few, she had no one to discuss these   
things with. Talking to Pilot Soryu was   
generally an exercise in futility. Doctor Akagi   
became disturbed when she brought up such   
matters, and she was hesitant to even broach   
the subject with Commander Ikari. She had the   
distinct impression that he would not only   
disapprove, but also order her to stop such   
interaction.   
  
This left Miss Horaki, Pilot Ikari and   
Captain Katsuragi. Of the three the former and   
later were her best sources of information.   
Shinji occasionally was of help, but he tended   
to be too reserved in his comments to be of   
much use. He did, sometimes, shed light on   
things that she did not understand, and   
hopefully her current problem might be one of   
those.   
  
As she climbed to her feet and walked   
down to where he was now sitting, he looked up   
at her and nodded a hello.  
  
"You are disturbed by what Pilot Soryu   
said," She stated as she stopped beside the   
tree he was resting against.   
  
Shinji let out a sigh and nodded in   
agreement.  
  
"Yeah, I wish she' just lay off the   
teasing at least once," he told her, "I know   
she disapproves of me and Hikari seeing one   
another-- but she could at least _try_ to be a   
little more understanding."  
  
"I myself do not fully understand it,"   
Rei said, "but I have through curiosity begun   
to try. Perhaps she is so abrasive because she   
has not made a similar effort to understand?"  
  
"Could be, but she still doesn't have to   
be so blunt and rude about it."  
  
"How should she be about it then?" Rei   
asked.  
  
"I don't know Rei... it's just that I'm   
having enough trouble trying to deal with   
school, Eva, and a girlfriend. Dealing with   
Asuka on top of it all is wearing me thin."  
  
"Have you told her this?"  
  
"I've tried, but she doesn't seem to ever   
listen."  
  
"I see," Rei said as she turned and began   
walking away.   
  
As Shinji looked after her, he made a note   
to ask Hikari to teach her how to end a   
conversation.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"How is school?" Commander Ikari asked as   
he and Rei ate dinner several nights later.  
  
"There are no difficulties, Commander."  
  
"That is good, and is everything else in   
order?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Has the Second Child given you any more   
difficulties?"  
  
"No sir, she seemed to have lost interest   
once our test scores showed her synch ratio   
surpassed mine."  
  
"I see. Continue to avoid her when   
possible. Her skill for Eva is undeniable, but   
we must continue to treat her ego with kid   
gloves. Eventually the stress of piloting will   
overcome her-- show caution when this does   
finally occur.   
  
"And the Third?"  
  
"Hmm as long as he remains fixated on his   
classmate I see no danger of a similar   
breakdown, continue to observe, but report any   
apparent instabilities to the nearest Section   
Two agent."  
  
"Yes sir," Rei replied, privately relived   
that he had not ordered her to avoid Shinji as   
well.  
  
"Sub-Commander Fuyutski and I will be   
leaving soon for the Antarctic Dead Sea. We   
should be far enough along to begin the new   
transfer procedures during that timeframe, are   
you prepared for them?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Good," the commander said as he rose to   
leave. He did not say anything else, but he was   
deeply worried, the reports he had received as   
of late showed that Rei had taken a more active   
role in her fellow pilot's lives... and that   
could be problematic if not handled properly.   
Her social development was limited, and given   
his plans for the girl... that had been a   
blessing in itself. Her new interest in the   
other children was not a danger on its own, but   
it presented a potential stumbling block should   
certain plans come to fruition before the   
predictions of the Scrolls came to pass.  
  
But even this was not the worst of his   
problems. if Rei began to show similar   
instabilities as the other pilots then much of   
what he had planned would be placed in   
jeopardy. So much depended on keeping Rei   
stable...   
  
Hopefully when the dummy plugs were   
completed they would no longer need the pilots.   
  
Hopefully then he would no longer have to   
put Rei at such risk.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Thanks for coming Hikari," Asuka told   
her friend the next day, "I don't think I'd be   
able to stand those two without help"   
  
They were in the middle of putting   
together a surprise party for Misato, who had   
just been promoted to Major. Kensuke and Touji   
had taken charge of the planning and   
construction, and had ushered the girls out of   
the living room saying that their presence was   
'disturbing the flow of creativity'. Hikari   
knew the two better and suspected that Kensuke   
just wanted Asuka out of the room before   
another fight started between her and Touji.  
  
"It's not a problem," Hikari replied, "I   
promised Kensuke I'd bring over these extra   
decorations anyway."  
  
"So the gyms all set then?"   
  
"We finished up yesterday, it's all   
ready."  
  
"You mean, you even got chaperones?"  
  
"It was easy once we got Kodama signed up.   
She convinced Misato and Misato even talked Mr.   
Kaji into helping out."  
  
"I can't say I'm upset about that," Asuka   
said with a lecherous grin.  
  
"How's your costume coming?" Hikari asked-  
- eager to change the subject, "Will it be   
ready on time? You told me last week that it   
was kind of complex."  
  
"Oh, once I found the right shops it was   
easy."   
  
"You're having it made? Isn't that   
expensive?  
  
"Not with the pay we get as pilots."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"What?"   
  
"Shinji only had his pay restored the other   
day."  
  
"Restored? When did he lose it?"  
  
"You didn't know? After the second battle   
he got in trouble."  
  
"Hmmm, I heard about that... he tried to   
run away or something, right?"  
  
"Well he wasn't actually running away...   
more like trying to take a breather. He told me   
he was actually about to come back to the   
apartment when they picked him up."  
  
"Right, like I said-- he ran away.   
Couldn't handle the pressure."  
  
"Asuka, that's not being fair, do you even   
know what he was going through then?"  
  
"No, but who cares? I mean it _is_ his   
job."  
  
"Asuka, did you chose to be a pilot?"   
Hikari asked, trying a different track  
  
"Sort of."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well they picked me way back when I was   
around four, but I was honored to be selected."  
  
"So you're doing this because you want   
to."  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"What if they hadn't brought you into it   
until a year ago?"  
  
"I'm not following you."  
  
"What if you had already decided what   
you wanted to do with your life, and then they   
forced you to pilot against your will?"  
  
"I'd probably be pissed but I'd go along   
with it, it is to save mankind you know."  
  
"Shinji is in that type of situation. In   
a very real sense he was drafted for the   
project. When he arrived he had no idea why Mr.   
Ikari had called him, and then they just kind   
of dropped everything into his lap. You had   
almost ten years to prepare yourself Asuka, he   
had maybe half an hour."  
  
"Never really thought about it like   
that... but if he hates all this so much, why   
does he stay? He could have left anytime once I   
arrived... couldn't he?"  
  
"I don't know. I think he's getting the   
hang of it, and I think he prefers living with   
Misato to his Uncle."  
  
"Speaking of Misato, when are she and   
idiot boy due back?"  
  
"Stop that, and it should be another half   
hour. Shinji said that the store they were   
going to was in midtown."  
  
"I see, well... what do we do until then?"  
  
"We could help the other two stooges with   
the decorations..."  
  
"Yeah right," Asuka asked with a laugh,   
"why bother, I mean, what are men good for   
besides manual labor?"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Misato drove them back to the   
apartment, Shinji smiled at the thought of her   
face when they walked in to the condo. He'd   
never been a part of a surprise party before,   
and he had to admit it was fun. Of course,   
trying to keep a straight face was becoming   
more and more difficult as the night   
progressed, but he felt he could last till they   
got back... at least he hoped he could.  
  
He looked over at his guardian who was   
lost in thought. Strange to think that until   
recently he would have been enjoying the quiet   
between them. He was changing, and he couldn't   
honestly say he wasn't enjoying it. Eventually   
he did grow too uncomfortable with the silence,   
and tried to spark a conversation.  
  
"Congratulations on your promotion," he   
said.  
  
"Thanks Shinji," She replied, her voice   
still distant, " but, to tell you the truth,   
I'm not exactly overjoyed."  
  
"I can sympathize with that," he told   
her, "being praised in public doesn't make me   
happy either. It only made Asuka mad back at   
headquarters.... Misato, why did she get angry   
anyway?"  
  
"You're still upset about that?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am."  
  
"You worry too much about what others   
think of you, Shinji."  
  
"Is that bad?"  
  
"It can be, for example; how do you   
define cool?"  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"Cool, how do you define it?"  
  
"Um... the opposite of hot?"  
  
"No silly, I mean like when a person   
is cool."  
  
"Oh... um I guess I don't know."  
  
"ok, take Kaji for example. He's a   
jerk and he drives me up the wall sometimes,   
but would you say that Kaji is good at keeping   
his cool?"  
  
"I guess so..."  
  
"Okay then, we have a starting place.   
Now why is that? How does he keep it?"  
  
"I... well, I guess I'm not sure."  
  
"For one thing, he doesn't care what   
people think about him. Especially about how he   
looks or dresses. That's why he can get away   
with dressing like a slob around headquarters."  
  
"That doesn't make much sense Misato."  
  
"Well its just part of it, but it's a big   
part. You need to realize your position. I   
mean-- you're a vital part of Nerv, and get to   
pilot the most advanced war machine in the   
history of mankind. You have every right to   
play up to that, but you don't and I respect   
you for it. However, your greatest problem is   
that you still worry too much about what others   
think. If you'd just realize all the things   
that you have going for you... you'd be that   
much closer to dealing with the hard stuff. You   
keep sweating the small stuff and its going to   
start getting to get to you like it did after   
the fourth angel."  
  
"You're telling me... that I need to   
decide what's important and what's not?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"But how do I decide that?"  
  
"Good question Shinji," Misato said with   
a grin, "figure that out and let me know-- I'm   
still working on it myself"  
  
Shinji frowned at that. Wasn't this   
supposed to be an advice session? Or was that   
actually the advice? Maybe what Misato needed   
and what he did as well to follow the advice   
were different things entirely. If that was the   
case then he was a little better off... but not   
by much  
  
"Oh, thanks for the help," he said   
shaking his head with a chuckle. Maybe he   
should just stick to Kensuke and Touji for   
advice, he figured. At least they gave straight   
answers... usually dumb ones, but straight   
ones.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Misato's reaction was worth the trouble.   
  
When she entered the kitchen and had five   
people jump out at her yelling "surprise"   
Shinji was glad that she didn't have her   
service pistol handy. Misato jumped almost   
three feet backwards and hit her head on the   
closet door, then fell to the floor in a daze.   
For a moment Kensuke panicked, but once she saw   
the elaborate decorations that the kids had set   
up Misato had begun to laugh, and everyone   
relaxed.   
  
The party started out great, with Touji   
and Asuka providing most of the entertainment   
by constantly trying to insult the other.   
Unfortunately for Touji-- Asuka didn't fight   
fair and most of their verbal sparring ended   
with him sitting down with an angry blush.   
Kodama had shown up just before Shinji and   
Misato and the 'evil twins' were planing a   
series of drinking games for later that   
evening.   
  
About half an hour after the start of   
the party, Kaji and Ritsuko finally arrived--   
resulting in Asuka's face lighting up brighter   
than any of the decorations. As she made a   
beeline for the older man's arm-- where she   
would remain attached for most of the evening--   
Hikari sat down beside Shinji and Misato.   
  
"Did you get your costumes selected yet?"   
Hikari asked.  
  
"We're going tomorrow to pick them up,"   
Misato replied as she popped open another beer,   
"good thing Shinji here got his pay back, I   
only have so much cash on hand these days."  
  
"So, how did the tests go today?"  
  
"I'm up eight points," Shinji said with a   
smile, "I think if I keep it up then I--"  
  
"Ah-em."  
  
They looked up to see Ritsuko frowning at   
them.   
  
"Shinji," she said, " I don't think its   
appropriate for you to be discussing such   
things. I would advise you drop that subject   
before one of the Section Two guards overhears   
and reports it to your father."  
  
"Now, now Ritsu, " Kaji said as he tried   
to take a sip of his sake-- a difficult task   
with Asuka clinging to his arm, "Shinji spends   
so much of his time cooped up with those tests   
that _not_ talking about them would leave him   
as quiet as Misato tells us he used to be.   
Surely you don't want that."  
  
"Of course not Kaji," Ritsuko shot back,   
" but we can't very well have him mouthing off   
about classified tests."  
  
"Afraid someone will find out about your   
rubber fetish?" Misato piped in, causing   
Ritsuko's face to take on a shade of red even   
Shinji had never achieved.  
  
"I think we better go outside," Hikari   
whispered to Shinji with a giggle.  
  
"Huh?" Shinji asked, "how come?"  
  
"Because I think Miss Akagi is about to   
start using language that we're not supposed to   
know."  
  
Shinji took another look at the glowering   
Ritsuko, and nodded in agreement. They were   
about to make their escape when the doorbell   
rang.   
  
"We'll get it" Shinji said as he and   
Hikari made their escape to the front hall.   
  
Opening the door, Shinji was pleasantly   
surprised to find Rei standing there. Asuka had   
claimed to have invited her, but they had all   
expected her to be a no-show.   
  
It was nice to be wrong about that.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Don't you love the view from here Rei?"   
Hikari asked as the three sat outside on the   
patio a bit later. Touji and Kensuke had just   
left and other than Asuka (who was still   
attached to Kaji's arm) it was just the adults.   
So while they proceeded to get drunk, the three   
teenagers had decided to step outside and talk   
for awhile.   
  
Rei looked out at the view of Tokyo Three,   
and nodded in agreement.   
  
"I wonder--I have seen this before," Rei   
asked, "why do I continue to find pleasure in   
the view?"  
  
"Because looking at something that's   
beautiful never gets old," Shinji said--   
smiling at Hikari as he did so.  
  
"Shinji Ikari," Hikari asked with a   
laugh, "are you flirting with me?"   
  
"I think so, at least I'm trying to,"   
Shinji replied with a blush, "am I doing it   
right?"  
  
"You're doing fine sweetie," Hikari told   
him as she kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"What is the purpose of that?" Rei asked  
  
"Of what?" Shinji said as he leaned back   
against the side of the lawn chair where Hikari   
was sitting.   
  
"Of a kiss. What purpose does it serve?"  
  
Hikari blinked, and leaned back in the   
chair thoughtfully. She was becoming used to   
Rei's odd questions. They were coming more and   
more often lately, but the girl could throw out   
a stumper like no one else.  
  
"That's hard to answer Rei. There are   
different kinds of kisses, some of them mean   
different things."  
  
"For example?" Rei asked.  
  
A playful grin crossed Hikari face and she   
reached over and took hold of Shinji's arm,   
pulling him up onto the chair with her. Shinji   
was completely mystified by her intentions, but   
went along. He trusted Hikari not to do   
anything embarrassing-- besides, he wasn't   
about to complain about the proximity.   
  
Turning to Rei, Hikari smiled and began to   
speak.  
  
"Kissing can mean anything from a simple   
token of friendship to a display of love, to   
more...amorous meanings. For example, this one   
is just a sign of affection, it could be given   
between friends or just siblings," she leaned   
over and gave Shinji a light peck on the cheek,   
"I kiss my sisters and father like that to say   
hello or goodbye. It just means that I care   
about them."   
  
Shinji had caught on to what Hikari was up   
to by this point, and while he was blushing   
deeply, he couldn't honestly say he wasn't   
enjoying the demonstration.   
  
"Even men used to kiss back in old times,   
Romans would greet one another like this," she   
kissed Shinji lightly on both cheeks.  
  
"And they no longer do this?" Rei asked  
  
"Most men don't... um, as for why, that's   
a discussion for another time," Hikari said, "   
now where were we? Ah, yes... couples tend to   
kiss a bit more intimately."   
  
She displayed this by kissing Shinji   
tenderly on the lips. When Shinji opened his   
eyes again he saw something that made him   
frown. He started to say something about it,   
but Hikari grinned and put a finger to his   
lips.  
  
"Hush, we're almost done," Hikari said   
with a giggle, "please hold all questions till   
the end of the demonstration."   
  
She looked back over to Rei who was   
observing with great interest.   
  
"Then there's the kind of kiss that the   
better romance novels spend three pages   
describing. I wouldn't try this with anyone you   
weren't already involved with-- it can be taken   
as a display of lust and tends to incite such   
feelings in the participants."  
  
Before Shinji could even try to read any   
deeper meanings in what Hikari had just said,   
he found himself swept up in the most amazing   
kiss he had shared with her yet. During their   
first kiss he had felt briefly like the rest of   
the world had faded back leaving only them.   
This was like that, except about twenty times   
more intense.   
  
When they finally came up for air,   
Shinji had forgotten what he had been about to   
say before that. It didn't take him long to   
remember however. In fact, it only took one   
look back at the door to the living room.  
  
Hikari and Rei heard a round of applause   
and turned to the doorway to see Kodama, Kaji,   
Ritsuko, and Misato clapping and laughing from   
the glass door. After a moment's shock at   
having an audience for their little   
'demonstration' Hikari and Shinji began to   
laugh as well. Rei watched all this and had   
anyone looked, they might have been surprised   
to see a small smile at the corner of her lips.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I'm glad no one has to work in the   
morning," Shinji told Kaji as he helped the   
older man clean up the mess. It was almost   
midnight, and just about everyone else was   
gone. Rei had left, and Hikari had taken Kodama   
home. Ritsuko had elected to sleep in Misato's   
room-- which, thanks to the efforts of Hikari   
and Asuka earlier that afternoon, was the   
cleanest it had been since Shinji had moved in.   
  
"They will no doubt appreciate that when   
the hangover kicks in," Kaji agreed as they   
placed more bottles in a box.  
  
"Um... Kaji?"  
  
"Yes Shinji?"  
  
"Where did Asuka go? I didn't see her   
after the three of us stepped outside."  
  
Kaji grinned, " well, to tell you I must   
first swear you to secrecy."  
  
"I don't understand, but alright."  
  
"She passed out after her third drink."  
  
"You let her drink?" Shinji asked,   
completely shocked.  
  
"It wasn't a matter of 'allowing' her to   
do anything," Kaji said with a bemused chuckle,   
"she was determined to join in the game, and   
once that girl sets her sights on something its   
nearly impossible to change her mind."  
  
"But still..."  
  
"Don't worry Shinji, if she feels   
anywhere near as bad as some of and the others   
no doubt will tomorrow morning, I think it will   
prove a valuable lesson for her-- the girl just   
can't hold her liquor."   
  
"How come you're not drunk?"  
  
"Oh I am, but unlike the others I know a   
few little tricks to keeping my head about me."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Hmmm... take Kodama for example. She made   
the mistake of hitting the beer first thing--   
then doing shots with the rest of us later on.   
Even so, she's not going to be the worst off of   
us all in the morning. Some people never did   
learn that you _don't_ mix around your drinks.   
Misato didn't do anything other than beer and   
tequila, and I stuck to the sake all night.   
While I will be feeling it tomorrow, I should   
be better off. Ritsuko on the other hand let   
the other girls pour her drinks for her... and   
with Misato that's a mistake."  
  
"I'll have to remember that."  
  
"Remember this as well," Kaji added, "   
drinking doesn't change your mood, it enhances   
it. If you're in a bad mood when you start,   
you're going to end up in a worse one. On the   
other hand-- if you're in a good mood the   
reverse is true. Just keep that in mind when or   
if you ever decide to go out drinking."  
  
"Thanks Kaji"  
  
"Just giving you some of the advice I   
wish I'd had when I started out."   
  
" I appreciate it... um, can I ask you   
something else?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Well you know that I'm seeing   
Hikari..."  
  
"I believe it's been made obvious at   
this point."  
  
"Um... right. Well, sometime after the   
dance... I wanted to take her somewhere nice   
for dinner... but I don't know anywhere that   
would let us in at our age."  
  
"I think I might have a bit of advice--   
do you have your Nerv ID card?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Flash that at anywhere in town. If they   
don't let you in after that-- tell Misato. I   
would wager that they will be kissing your feet   
the next time you show up."  
  
"That seems kind of dishonest Kaji..."  
  
"It's only dishonest if you abuse it   
Shinji. Just keep that as a backup plan if   
anyone gives you trouble. It's an ace in the   
hole that you can bring out in emergency."  
  
"But how will I know if I'm abusing it?   
I'd feel bad enough using it to get my way like   
that in the first place."   
  
"That's a very good questions Shinji...   
and one I'm not really qualified to answer. For   
now lets just say that it depends mostly on   
your motives. Sometimes we have to do things   
that go against our ideas of right and wrong in   
order to survive. You don't like to fight,   
correct?"  
  
"No... I don't."  
  
"But you also know that if you don't   
fight, then people you know will get hurt or   
killed."  
  
" . . . "  
  
"There is no easy answer to this Shinji.   
I can't advise you on everything, but I can say   
that you should try whenever possible to do   
what you feel is right. I had a friend in   
collage who was a walking encyclopedia of   
obscure quotes, and there was one I never   
forgot. 'You have to be one of the good guys,   
because there are way too many of the bad'. I   
always thought of that as a good philosophy to   
try and live by."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Deep in the center of what had a fifteen   
years before been the frozen continent of   
Antarctica, an aircraft carrier sat in the   
crimson tide surrounded by stalagmite-like   
pillars of crystallized salt. Second Impact had   
killed off not only the life on land, but also   
rendered the sea for miles and miles   
uninhabitable.   
  
Now, a decade and a half later, Nerv had   
returned to the wasteland to reclaim the tool   
of it's instrumentality-- the lance of   
Longinus.   
  
"Fuyutski, what is the progress?" Ikari   
asked as he entered the command deck of the   
ship Nerv was using as it's base of operations.  
  
"The fifth recovery team has located the   
lance," Kozo replied, "and the other   
submersibles are on their way to assist."  
  
"Very well."  
  
"Incidentally, I've been meaning to ask   
you about something. Is there a problem? You've   
been distracted for the entire mission."  
  
" . . . You know me too well."  
  
"Of course, as I recall that _was_ one of   
the reasons you brought me into all of this. So   
what is it this time? Something to do with   
Adam?"  
  
"No, Adam's regeneration is, in fact,   
ahead of schedule."  
  
"Seele being a pain in the ass again?"  
  
"That is always the case... but no."  
  
"Rei then? I hear she has been spending   
time with the other pilots more often as of   
late."  
  
" . . . "  
  
"I see..." Fuyutski said with a nod, "   
Gendou, do you remember the first day that you   
saw the clones?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Do you remember what you said to me then?   
The warning about getting too emotionally   
attached?"  
  
"I remember perfectly. I may have been   
furious at the time, but I still believe it to   
be sound advice."  
  
"That was understandable, and I do admit   
that my decision to use Yui's DNA for the   
Nephelem was a personal one. I made it with no   
consent from you. However, remember that you   
did finally agree that my reasoning was sound.   
The scrolls told us what would be necessary if   
we were to upset Seele's schedule."  
  
"Rei's harmonic tests with Unit One do   
backed you up, but it was still quite a shock."  
  
"I do understand, and never think that it   
was a decision that was made lightly, but back   
to my point. I doubt that I need to remind you   
that Rei has a purpose, and if we are to   
realize our goal--we need to remember what she   
is."  
  
"As usual you are correct. It is difficult   
sometimes... she looks so much like Yui that I   
almost forget that she is not really my child   
occasionally."  
  
"Is that why you moved her?"  
  
"Yes and no. The primary motivation was   
that she was becoming self reliant and there   
was no longer a need for my constant   
supervision. We both know that I never did have   
much time for her, but you are correct in that   
guess, Professor... as much as she resembles   
Yui... it was becoming dangerous to stay in   
such close quarters."  
  
"I'm starting to see why her recent   
interaction with the others is bothering you so   
much."   
  
"Do you?"  
  
"Naturally. Remember that I knew Yui   
longer than you did, and I very clearly recall   
how full of life she was. The more Rei grows as   
a person the stronger the resemblance becomes,   
not to mention the harder it will become on us   
poor old men who so vividly remember her   
genetic benefactor."  
  
"Perhaps you are correct. However, if that   
is the case then should we halt it? She will   
follow the order if it is given, but the   
question remains-- is it necessary?"  
  
"For now I see no harm in it. As long as   
she keeps her control, and her AT field does   
not manifest then there shouldn't be a problem.   
The scrolls do not warn of it, but we must   
still be wary of that possibility."  
  
"I'm forced to agree I suppose," Gendou   
said as he leaned back in his chair. Suddenly   
he broke into a smirk, "Perhaps this will help   
my image with the staff?"  
  
Fuyutski almost laughed aloud, "I doubt   
much could repair that, old friend. Besides,   
doesn't the 'Bastard King' image work to your   
favor?"  
  
"That's a new one, " Gendou said with a   
snort. He had no illusions about being loved by   
his subordinates, and it was a running joke   
between him and Kozo to try and keep up with   
the latest insulting pet names that they   
invented for him.  
  
"If I'm not mistaken it was the Second   
Child who started it," Fuyutski added, "I think   
it was just after the Eighth Angel."  
  
"Leave it to an American to produce the   
most entertaining insubordination," Gendou said   
sourly.  
  
"So, what are you planning to do about   
Rei for now?"  
  
"For now... I think I'll take your   
advice and let things be. After all, there is   
no reason to have _all_ of our pilots despising   
me."  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
The following afternoon, while the   
residents of the Katsuragi household were   
dealing with the effects of a hard night of   
partying, Rei Ayanami was finishing her costume   
for the dance that night. She was just checking   
the final stitches when her cell phone rang.  
  
Removing it from her school pack she   
answered.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Good evening Rei," Ritsuko said, "we   
need you to come down to headquarters, the new   
module was completed ahead of schedule and   
we're ready to begin the transfer experiments."  
  
"I-- I understand..." Rei said sadly. Had   
Ritsuko not been still hung over, she would   
have heard the catch in the girl's voice. Rei   
hung up the phone and began to remove the Mutio   
costume she had been planning on wearing to the   
dance  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
Shinji stood in front of Hikari's house   
and tried to calm himself. He had known to   
expect this sooner or later, but it didn't make   
him any less nervous about it. He took another   
glance at the driveway where Mr. Horaki's car   
was sitting and reached out to right the doorbell.   
  
He had been surprised that it had taken   
this long to meet Hikari's father, but at the   
same time it was something of a relief. The few   
times he'd had to deal with his own father had   
_never_ been pleasant. Their yearly meetings at   
his mother's grave had been tense at best, and   
those had stopped almost three years ago. He   
didn't know how to talk with his own father...   
how was he going to talk with Hikari's?  
  
As the doorbell rang he removed his   
costume's straw hat, and stood as straight as   
he could. He wanted to make the best impression   
possible. Thankfully his costume was a fairly   
simple one, and he wouldn't feel too   
ridiculous.  
  
A few moments passed and finally the door   
opened. Hikari's father was about what Shinji   
had pictured from her descriptions. Outwardly   
he fit the typical absent minded scientist   
mold. Had he been wearing a lab coat the   
picture would have been complete. He looked at   
Shinji for a moment before breaking into a   
smile and inviting him inside.  
  
"You must be Shinji. I almost didn't   
recognize you without your plugsuit."  
  
"Have we met before, Sir?" Shinji asked,   
a little confused.  
  
"hmmm, well not exactly," Mr. Horaki said   
apologetically, "they called me in to assist   
during after the injury you received from the   
Fifth Angel."  
  
"Really? Well then I should thank you,   
sir. I was told I nearly didn't make it."  
  
"Oh, no thanks are necessary. I didn't   
actually have anything to do with your rescue.   
My department was brought in to speed your   
recovery."  
  
"Then I still owe you thanks, Sir. I came   
out of that better than I had any right too. I   
still have nightmares about being boiled alive   
sometimes. I'd imagine they would be worse   
without your help."  
  
"Thank you Shinji, but lets not talk of   
work tonight. I get so few evenings where I can   
rest nowadays."  
  
"Fair enough Sir" Shinji said with a   
polite smile. There were no words for how glad   
he was that things were going so well.  
  
"Hikari will be down in a bit. While we're   
waiting why don't we talk about what are your   
plans after this mess is all over?" Mr. Horaki   
asked as they sat down in the living room.  
  
"Its hard to say," Shinji said as he   
thought back to the last time he had been asked   
this, "I'm still fairly young."  
  
"True," Mr. Horaki agreed, "I didn't   
really chose a direction for my life till after   
Second Impact, I was about twenty at the time.   
In hindsight that wasn't a fair question to   
ask-- especially considering your position with   
Eva."   
  
"Well, its not entirely unfair...when   
Kodama asked me the same question, Sir, I told   
her that I'd like to learn to write music. I'm   
still interested in that."  
  
"I admire you for that... We have so few   
people nowadays that want to create, and I   
think we need it now more than ever."  
  
Shinji was about to agree when the older   
man looked up at the stairs. Shinji followed   
his line of sight and saw that Hikari was   
heading down to join them. Her hair was let   
down with a ribbon in it, and she was dressed   
in a black tunic and had-- of all things-- a   
giant spatula strapped to her back.  
  
"Sorry I took so long Shinji." She said   
as she gave her father a hug.  
  
"Don't worry about it hun," Mr. Horaki   
told her, "it's an old tradition for the young   
man to sit with the girl's father and be   
intimidated as she finishes getting ready."   
  
Hikari shook her head and took Shinji's   
hand as she handed her father a camera, "could   
you get a picture of us in costume before we   
go?"  
  
"Of course," he replied as they stepped   
against the wall.  
  
Once the picture was taken, they thanked   
him and headed off to the school. As they   
walked toward the party, Hikari asked Shinji   
why he had dressed as a samurai.  
  
"No offence, but I don't see where that   
matches a part of your personality."  
  
"Well, when I picked it I had a specific   
character in mind. I got the idea when I was   
over at Kensuke's watching movies with him and   
Touji a while back."  
  
"Who is it supposed to be?"  
  
"The way they explained it, the character   
was based on an old legend in the first place,   
but the movie was called 'wind ninja   
chronicles'. It was about a Ronin named Jubei   
who got blackmailed into a war against an army   
of demons."  
  
"Oh, I think I see the parallel now."  
  
"Well there was that, but also at the end   
he decided to fight because he wanted to, not   
just because he was being forced... he could   
have taken the easy way out and left, but he   
stayed and fought."  
  
"And you want to be able to do that..."  
  
"Basically..."  
  
"And here I am picking my costume just   
because I like to cook" Hikari said--adjusting   
the bow in her hair with a giggle.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
They could hear the music from a block   
away, and when they arrived the party was   
already in full swing. Walking into the gym   
Shinji was impressed with the work that had   
gone into the decorations. Somehow they had   
found the time to transform the entire gym into   
a cave. It was impressive to say the least.  
  
Once they finished gawking at the   
room they started looking for their friends.   
They found Kensuke rather quickly. He was   
wandering around with his camera, dressed in   
his military fatigues.   
  
"Hey Kensuke!" Shinji called over the   
music, "over here!"  
  
Kensuke turned and waved as he made his   
way through the surprisingly large crowd.   
Knowing how few students they had, the dance   
committee had left an open invitation to the   
other Tokyo Three high schools and junior   
highs, and several had taken up the offer.   
  
"Glad you made it," Kensuke told them as   
he swept the floor with his camera, " can you   
believe this turnout?"   
  
"Wouldn't miss it," Hikari told him, "and   
what's the deal with your costume?"  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Kensuke asked.  
  
"Other than you wear it every other   
weekend anyway?" Shinji pointed out with a   
laugh.  
  
"Hey, don't knock it--it was cheep,"   
Kensuke said as he flashed a grin, "call me the   
ten yen costume king!"   
  
"So, why are you filming the party?"   
Hikari wanted to know.  
  
"For the memories, and for blackmail   
material-- you would never believe what some   
people dressed as!"  
  
A person dressed as a large yellow rodent   
danced past and Hikari couldn't help but agree   
with her friend on that one. The costumes some   
people were wearing didn't seem to follow any   
rhyme or reason. Some were based on current   
movies and anime's, and some like Shinji's and   
Hikari's were based off of old classics. To   
their surprise there were even a couple of   
homemade plug suits. Kensuke finally wandered   
off and the two made their way over to the   
snack table where they expected to find at   
least one of the adults who were chaperoning.   
  
Sure enough Misato was keeping an eagle   
eye on the punchbowl. As the two approached,   
they saw that she had already confiscated   
several small bottles of alcohol. Shinji   
couldn't help but agree with her selection for   
that post. If anyone were an expert on that   
type of thing it would be her. Not only that,   
but any guys trying to spike the punch would   
first have to peal their eyes off her costume.   
She was dressed as a cat, and the skintight   
suit left little to the imagination.   
  
She waved them over and flicked Shinji's   
hat down playfully as they walked up.  
  
"Took you long enough," she said smiling,   
"man, I haven't been to one of these in   
years... I forgot how much fun they were!"   
  
"Have Asuka and Rei arrived yet?" Hikari   
asked hopefully.  
  
"Well Asuka's here, but Rei won't be   
coming. She had to head down to HQ for some   
tests."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Shinji asked,   
worried for his friend.  
  
"No, just something Ritsu had to take care   
of. I don't know the details. Don't worry   
though, she's fine"  
  
"That's a shame, I think she was looking   
forward to this..." Hikari said.  
  
"Don't sweat it. You guys can take her out   
or something and make up for it. For now don't   
worry. Get out there and have some _fun_   
already!"  
  
They grabbed some snacks and took   
Misato's advice. Finding an empty spot at one   
of the few dozen tables they sat down and   
watched the mayhem that typically unfolds from   
a good party.   
  
It wasn't long before they saw Kaji and   
Asuka walking around. Shinji couldn't say he   
was surprised by Asuka's costume, but he was   
impressed with the work that had been put into   
its design. She was dressed as a Norse   
Valkyrie, complete with a metallic breastplate,   
a sword, and a winged headdress. Kaji' costume   
was harder to place; he was wearing a tuxedo   
and, to Shinji's surprise, had his ponytail   
tucked under his collar.  
  
"Why does the idea of her as a 'chooser   
of the slain' bother me so much?" Touji said as   
he appeared out of the crowd and sat down   
beside them, "glad I finally found ya, I   
wondered where you two were hiding."  
  
"Hi Touji," Hikari said, "what's your   
costume? I can't quite place it..."   
  
He was wearing a baseball cap and jersey,   
and was carrying a huge bat, but she couldn't   
see any team identification anywhere. He also   
had a Band-Aid on his nose.  
  
"It's from an old fighting game my dad   
has. The guy uses all these sports attacks."  
  
"I think I've seen that at a oldies   
restaurant," Hikari said, "it's a school themed   
game right?"  
  
"You got it," Touji replied as he took a   
sip of his drink, "anyone seen Rei?"  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Good evening Rei" Ritsuko said as the   
young girl entered the lab.   
  
"Good evening doctor Akagi," Rei replied   
as she stepped up to the main bank of scanning   
devices and began to remove her clothes.  
  
"We'll be doing a test run on the transfer   
program tonight, Rei, so it'll be a bit   
different than normal. We should be done by   
midnight."  
  
"Yes, doctor Akagi," Rei replied, and had   
Ritsuko not know the girl for almost ten years,   
she would have missed the slight disappointed   
note in her voice.   
  
"Is something wrong Rei?"  
  
"No, doctor Akagi, " Rei said. Ritsuko was   
surprised to realize that Rei was looking away   
from her with a slight blush.   
  
'Is she lying to me?' Ritsuko asked   
herself with a touch of amused shock. It was an   
interesting development, but not something that   
would stop the press-- so to speak. It also   
didn't take much imagination to figure out why.   
Misato had been talking her ear off about this   
party for most of the week, and it was _all_   
Asuka had been able to talk about at the   
previous night's celebration.   
  
"I'm sorry I had to call you in at such   
short notice," Ritsuko said-- testing the   
waters, "I know that the others were expecting   
you at the party."  
  
Rei's eyes widened a bit and her blush   
became more pronounced, and Ritsuko had to   
fight not to smile. According to Misato, Shinji   
had never developed his father's talent for   
lying either-- it must be something from the   
mother's side. At any rate it wouldn't do for   
the girl to think she was toying with her...  
  
"Rei, I really am sorry about this but we   
are under orders. We can't delay these tests,   
but-- tell you what, I'll see what I can do to   
make it up to you, okay?"  
  
"I-.... Tha-- thank you." Rei said with   
a startled look coming over her face.   
  
Ritsuko's feelings for the albino girl   
were complicated. Sometimes she pitied Rei,   
sometimes she envied her, and there had been   
times as of late that she hated her. This   
however, might have been the first time she had   
ever felt any kind of warmth toward the girl.   
It was an odd feeling-- considering what she   
knew.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As Rei climbed into the large tube and   
it began to fill with LCL, she thought back to   
what she had just said to the doctor. 'Thank   
you.' They were words of gratitude, and they   
were words she had never spoken before to   
anyone-- not to Miss Horaki, Major Katsuragi,   
Pilot Ikari... or even the Commander.   
  
Why was that?   
  
It was not due to lack of opportunity--   
many people as of late had gone out of their   
way to answer her questions about various   
things that befuddled her. Perhaps it had more   
to do with the degree of which she was   
grateful...   
  
That the doctor felt bad about her   
missing the gathering at the school had been a   
relief somehow, and she could not quite   
describe exactly why that was so.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
After awhile the DJ finally decided it was   
time for a slow song and Hikari turned to   
Shinji and smiled.  
  
"Can you dance?" she asked  
  
"Not to the fast stuff, but I think I   
could handle this."  
  
They got up and headed out onto the dance   
floor. After a moment's awkwardness, Shinji   
placed an arm around Hikari and they began to   
dance slowly. At first Shinji had to work hard   
not to step on her feet, but he soon got the   
hang of it. He had never done this, and he   
regretted that he didn't have much practice. it   
turned out to be even more fun than he had   
expected it would.  
  
From the edge of the crowd, Kaji watched   
the two with a smile. He was glad that Shinji   
seemed to be holding up so well-- the   
information he had about Eva had indicated that   
the machines could create mental instabilities   
in the pilots after time. If Shinji had someone   
to help him through it, he might make it after   
all.   
  
Asuka was another subject entirely, at   
the moment she was out on the dance floor   
alone--and that summed up her situation best.   
She was alone emotionally and while she seemed   
to thrive on it, he suspected that her self-  
imposed isolation from others would be her   
downfall. He wasn't always going to be there to   
look after her, and if she didn't grow out of   
her obsession with him soon it was impossible   
to say just how bad things would get. She   
refused to let anyone in, and that was a shame.   
The difficulties the children would soon be   
facing were something that she would never be   
able to handle alone.  
  
With any luck the kids would make it out   
alive, but he wouldn't bet on all of them being   
in one piece.  
  
As he made his rounds, had to grin at   
the thought of having been put in charge of   
policing the dancers. According to his   
instructions, he was to make sure that all the   
partygoers stayed at least a foot apart and did   
not dance lewdly. The idea was almost as   
amusing as Misato being in charge of keeping   
people from drinking. Obviously the planners of   
this event were not without a sense of irony.  
  
"Hello Mr. Kaji, " called a familiar voice   
from his left, he looked and found Kodama   
Horaki moving through the crowd to where he was   
currently standing.   
  
"Please, Miss Horaki, " he said, "the   
'mister' is so unnecessary, just call me Kaji,   
Ryoji Kaji."  
  
"Very cute, I suppose you'll be asking me   
for a dry martini next?"  
  
"Nonsense, if I need alcohol then I'll ask   
Misato," Kaji said with a grin.  
  
"That's a nice costume Asuka," Kodama   
added as the redhead appeared out of the crowd.   
Asuka took a look at Kodama's costume and   
started to laugh. She was dressed in a short   
back dress, a red beret, and a red jacket.   
Apparently she had decided to play up on her   
sister's 'evil twins' joke.  
  
"Thank you Kodama," once she got her   
giggles under control, "I spent a lot of time   
trying to find the right pieces."  
  
"It came out well, I think. Has anyone   
seen Hikari? I haven't seen her since this   
afternoon."  
  
Kaji broke into another of his trademark   
grins and pointed to a spot on the dance floor   
where Hikari and Shinji were currently ignoring   
everything but the music and one another.   
Kodama smiled as she saw the two, then let out   
a short laugh.  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be keeping them   
farther apart than that?" she inquired.  
  
"Ah, but if I actually enforced that rule,   
then Asuka would have to detach herself from my   
arm... and then she would most likely kill me.   
So, I think until clothes start being shed I'll   
ignore a little smooching on the dance floor."  
  
"Hey!" Asuka said loudly, realizing that   
she had just been pseudo-insulted, " why does   
everyone always think I'm going to be violent?   
I'm not _always_ violent . . . am I?"  
  
Kaji patted her on the shoulder and   
smiled, "The important thing is _you_ believe   
that."   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
As the song ended, Shinji was about to say   
something to Hikari when a well-known and   
dreaded siren cut into the music.   
  
The crowd immediately began to panic, and   
rush the doors, and Hikari was almost separated   
from Shinji three times as they made their way   
to Misato's snack table.   
  
Asuka was already there, and when the room   
emptied they began to make their way to the   
door. As they reached the door and started to   
head toward Misato's car, Hikari stopped. She   
had almost forgotten that she couldn't go with   
them. Shinji turned to her and frowned-- he was   
just then reaching the same realization.   
  
"Be careful," She told him as she turned   
to go with the others to the shelters. Before   
she got too far, Shinji grabbed her hand and   
stopped her.   
  
"Thank you," he said and kissed her.   
With one last longing look, he turned and   
joined Asuka and Misato in the car while Hikari   
watched from the parking lot. As the blue   
Renaut A301 screeched out of the parking lot,   
Kensuke lowered his camera and wiped a tear   
from his eye.   
  
"That was beautiful..." he said with a sigh   
before joining Hikari, who was already hurrying   
to the shelter.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"You want us to catch it in our _hands_?"   
Asuka cried as Misato explained her plan to   
kill the latest Angel  
  
"Yes," Misato told her, " we will position   
the Evas at the estimated point of impact and   
use the AT fields to stop its descent."  
  
Shinji hadn't actually been listening   
very much to what Misato had to say. She had   
placed a projection of the blast radius on the   
monitor and his entire focus had been directed   
at one spot. That spot was the shelter where   
Hikari was right that moment. When the Angel   
hit, no matter which part of the City it   
struck-- the shelter was still in the blast   
zone.   
  
"What if the Angel hits outside the   
projected area?" he asked.  
  
"We're still toast," Misato told him,   
"even with an indirect hit the shockwave will   
destroy the city and the Geofront."  
  
Shinji tuned out again after hearing   
that. He had known from the beginning that he   
was fighting to save people-- it was the only   
way he had been able to keep from abandoning   
Eva entirely and going back to his uncle. As he   
looked at the location of the shelter covered   
in red on the screen, he realized that he had a   
much more personal reason to do it.  
  
"What are our chances of succeeding" he   
asked when the room went quiet again.  
  
"Haven't got a clue, not good though."  
  
"If we win, it'll be a miracle!" Asuka   
said, still trying to assimilate their   
assignment and keep from screaming at how   
insane it was  
  
'Then we'll just have to _make_ one   
happen,' Shinji thought as he took one more   
look at the blast radius.   
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"Hey Asuka?" Shinji asked as they rode   
the lift to the Cage.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why do you do this? Why do you pilot?""  
  
"To show the world how great I am!"   
Asuka declared with a fierce smile.  
  
"So it's a way to prove to others you   
exist?"  
  
"You could say that," she said with a   
shrug.  
  
Shinji nodded and turned back to the   
front of the cage. After a moment the curiosity   
got the better of her and Asuka spoke up again.  
  
"Aren't you gonna ask Rei too?"  
  
"We've already discussed it"  
  
"What, have you been having secret   
meetings behind Hikari's back?" Asuka asked   
with a smirk.   
  
"Of course not!" Shinji shot back.  
  
"Yesh! Scuuuuse me for breathing,   
Third Child! Okay then if wonder girl is off   
topic then why do _you_ pilot Eva?"  
  
" I didn't know for a long time, but I   
think I do now..." Shinji said softly.  
  
"Well?"   
  
"120 minutes until the estimated time of   
collision," Maya announced over the PA system.  
  
"I'll tell you later," Shinji said as the   
lift reached their stop.  
  
  
[]====[]  
[]====[]  
  
  
"I still hate this thing," he said aloud   
as he waited for the order to move out. He knew   
he probably always would too. Despite the fact   
that his control over the Eva grew daily, there   
was always a little part of his mind that knew   
that a beast was hiding inside the armor--   
waiting to be let loose again.  
  
"The Angel has been sighted" Aoba   
reported.  
  
Shinji looked up at he sky. He could see   
the twinkling reflection of light off the Angel   
as its descent began. He remembered what Misato   
had told him the day of her party-- about her   
father... and the Angels  
  
"All Eva's to your starting positions,"   
Misato called over the communications link.  
  
Her feelings toward her father   
surprisingly mirrored his towards his own. She   
had tried to hate him for so long, but still   
couldn't bring herself to fully despise him.   
She had tried to describe how she had directed   
all her rage towards him towards the angels.   
Shinji didn't know if he could do that. Her   
father was long dead while his was a constant   
presence. As grateful as he was to Misato for   
trying to help him find his purpose... he   
wondered if he should tell her that it wasn't   
necessary anymore.  
  
"On your marks," Misato began...  
  
'I have my own reason now,' Shinji   
thought, 'I have someone I love who is in   
danger. If I don't fight-- if I don't do my   
best... then she could die. I can't let that   
happen as long as there is something I can do   
to prevent it.'  
  
"Get set," she continued...  
  
So he would hate it, he would fear it, but   
he wouldn't run from it. As long as there was   
something he could do to keep the Angels from   
hurting anyone he would keep fighting. More to   
the point, as long as there was a way to keep   
Hikari safe, he would fight to his dying   
breath.  
  
"GO!"  
  
With a renewed sense of purpose, Shinji   
Ikari charged forward to meet his future head   
on.  
  
  
[]====================[]  
End of Book One  
[]====================[]  
  
  
Authors Incoherent Babbling:  
  
  
Well, we're at the end of Book One, and   
from the response I've been getting it looks   
like y'all like this little yarn! ^_^   
  
One quick note about Hikari's pop.   
Hikari's about the only character in the cast   
who isn't screwed in the head somehow ^_^ so I   
figure her pop can't have been too bad.   
  
The costumes... well I tried to go with   
the classics, (hey you try figuring what's   
still going to be popular 15 years from now!)   
but it took me forever to decide on Touji's.   
its from a game called Rival Schools. I ended   
up going with it because a couple of the   
fighters are sports themed, and because one of   
the ultimate attacks looks like the 'dance like   
you want to win' sequence.   
  
For the record, Shinji was Jubei from Ninja   
Scroll fame (the costume was _not_ inspired by   
Jubei chan for the record ^_^ )  
  
Hikari was Ukkyo from Ranma 1/2. (hey, I   
figured, why not?)  
  
In Rei's case the costume was kind of a   
homage to one of my favorite fics. Her costume-  
- the character Mutio from Blue Submarine #6--   
was inspired by a comment made in Children of   
an Elder God. As I recall, someone says that   
Rei seems like a mermaid in one chapter. If   
you've seen that series (and read that fic)   
then you ought to see where I got the   
connection ^_^  
  
I think I got most of the Waff out of my   
system, so expect things to get bad from here   
out. The Second Book of Together We Stand is   
titled:  
  
[]===================[]  
Divided We Fall  
[]===================[]  
  
  
Hotwire  
Chain Lightning Studios   
http://hotwire182.freeyellow.com/chainlightning.html  
  
  
  



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